Our friends at the Yarnell Hill Recovery Group will mark the second anniversary of the devastating Yarnell Hill Fire, which claimed 19 firefighters' lives, this weekend. From a news release:
Yarnell will commemorate the second anniversary of the Yarnell Hill Fire with two events, both to be held at the Memorial Park Site at 22556 S. Highway 89, at the corner of Shrine Rd. and State Route 89.
On Sunday, June 28, the ceremony will begin at 1:00 pm, and will honor the loss of the 19 members of the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew. The event will include music, and brief statements by local leaders and former Division Chief of the Granite Mountain Interagency Hotshot Crew, Darrell Willis. Lew Theokas, the grandfather of Garret Zuppiger one of the fallen Hotshots, will also make brief comments. The second anniversary remembrance event includes a groundbreaking ceremony for the Memorial Park, which was donated to the Yarnell Fire District through the efforts of the Yarnell Hill Recovery Group. Several commemorative gifts to be incorporated into the park will also be presented. The event is expected to last approximately one hour.
On Tuesday, June 30, the ceremony begins at 4:00 pm. It will focus only on the 19 firefighters and is structured so that those in attendance will participate in the county-wide moment of silence at 4:42 pm.
The public and media are invited to the Sunday event; the Tuesday ceremony is intended primarily for local residents and those immediately impacted by the fire.
Photo: Keith Zimmerman | Near Yarnell