Investigative MEDIA

Yarnell Hill Fire Investigation Ignored Major Mistakes by the State

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The following story and videos were produced and reported by InvestigativeMEDIA and appeared in the Phoenix New Times.
By John Dougherty
Published Wed., Oct. 16 2013 at 12:00 PM
Yarnell-Cover-10.17.13.jpg
Illustration by Justin Renteria.

Former Yarnell Fire Chief Peter Andersen sat under a tree in his front yard having his morning coffee on Sunday, June 30, when the Granite Mountain Hotshots drove past his Glen Ilah home.

“At 8:03, [their] two buggies went by,” Andersen says. “Right after they went by, the leaves started to blow. I shook my head. [The state] didn’t listen to me.”

Andersen, who resigned as Yarnell chief in 2011 after 12 years of service, was aggravated because he had warned an Arizona Forestry Division fire manager the night before that it was crucial to attack the steadily expanding fire in the hills above Yarnell at dawn, before prevailing southwesterly winds picked up about 8 in the morning. [Read more…]

State releases Yarnell Hill Fire investigation on the deaths of 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots

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The Yarnell Hill Fire Serious Accident Investigation Report was released on Sept. 28, 2013 during a press conference in Prescott, AZ.

InvestigativeMEDIA is continuing to investigate the events that led up to the deaths of 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots during the June 30 wildfire.

Videos of the entire press conference and an interview with lead investigator, Florida State Forester Jim Karels, are posted below.

Opening statements by the Serious Accident Investigation Team:

[Read more…]

Prescott Wildlands Division Chief Darrell Willis demands retraction of Granite Mountain Hotshot story

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After refusing to answer written questions or to be interviewed before publication of the New Times August 22 cover story, “Lambs to Slaughter,” about the deaths of 19 Granite Mountain firefighters, Prescott hotshots boss Darrell Willis sent New Times a letter containing what he claims are 22 inaccuracies in the article.

InvestigativeMEDIA’s editor John Dougherty wrote the story for Phoenix New Times and the article also appears on this website. The New Times responded to Willis’ claims with an extraordinary Sept. 10 story published on its website. Dougherty contributed to the New Times’ article responding to Willis’ claims.

The New Times story corrects three minor errors in the Aug. 22 article and New Times rejected Willis’ request for a sweeping retraction of the conclusions and opinions expressed in the story. InvestigativeMEDIA appreciates New Times continued support and confidence in the reporting. [Read more…]

Granite Mountain Hotshot crew sent to Yarnell fire on scheduled day off

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By John Dougherty

The Granite Mountain Hotshots’ regularly scheduled day off was Sunday, June 30, the day the crew was dispatched to Yarnell and 19 of its 20 members were killed by a wildfire, newly released federal records show.

When Granite Mountain reported to Yarnell it was the 28th day that month the crew had been on duty, according to the records released by the state Forestry Division in response to an Arizona Public Records Law request filed by InvestigativeMEDIA. [Read more…]