And I want the world to know that they were heroes, and I would find the tallest mountain and shout how great they are. Older Americans increasingly struggling to save for retirement. Among the victims was Billy Warneke, a Marine Corps veteran who served a tour in Iraq and who was expecting his first child with his wife Roxanne this December, family told The Press Enterprise. Farm Heroes Saga, the #4 Game on iTunes. A couple of firefighters approached the truck, curious how a civilian vehicle had gotten past the roadblocks. Reach Bland at karina.bland@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8614. Read:Couple's Wedding Forced to Relocate After Chapel Is Destroyed in Deadly Wildfire. It was unclear exactly how the crew became trapped. I feel like we need to do something for these guys, she said. He was the only one of the 13 Hotshots denied full benefits who worked a 40 hour week through out the year. They died together - doing what they loved.'. 2013 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. advancements, How to kick those late-night food cravings, 6 Amazon travel favorites for your next big getaway, TODAY walking group friends meet in person for first time. Her husband, Andrew, 29, was a former "rookie of the year" on the team and the father of four children, all younger than the age of 6. Juliann Ashcraft, the widow of Andrew Ashcraft, speaks during an interview at her home in Queen Creek, Arizona. 'Quite literally, my bills are being paid by the good people of the world who are giving donations, because the city of Prescott isn't doing anything for us,' she told the TV station. They took Billie Grace with them. Juliann Ashcraft's husband, Andrew, was one of 19 firefighters killed battling a wildfire near Yarnell, Arizona on June 30. Less then two days after Andrew Ashcraft's life was taken, Juliann Ashcraft spoke about her husband and the other members of the Granite Mountain Hotshot crew. Published: 23:26 EST, 1 July 2013 | Updated: 14:42 EST, 2 July 2013. "Quite literally, my bills are being paid by the good people of the world who are giving donations, because the city of Prescott isn't doing anything for us," she said. Confused: Juliann Ashcraft, pictured, is fighting with the city of Prescott for the benefits she is being denied, Children: Mrs Ashcraft, pictured, was left to raise her four children alone. Because of the dangers of the job, he would always tell us that he loved us. Juliann Ashcraft, wife of Granite Mountain Hotshot Andrew Ashcraft, gave a beautiful talk about her family's gratitude journey after Andrew's death. Roxanne Warneke, riding shotgun, rolled down her window. "And we'll. All the while, I have these precious babies that I just would just give anything to have a mother and father to tuck them in. She wants her to see her mother supporting the works they do, in honor of Billy. Now the fire had shut down that route. "That's why I never worried for their safety because they were trained," she said. A widow whose husband was killed courageously fighting a wildfire in Yarnell, Arizona five weeks ago is being denied the lifetime benefits she was counting on to raise the couple's four young children alone. "They were the best of the best.". Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news . They remove brush, trees and anything that might burn in the direction of homes and cities. 'We grieve for the family. The property offer sweet spot! Of course, there was no reply," she said. Others were found outside them. The crew killed in the blaze had been working on other wildfires in recent weeks in New Mexico and Arizona, Fraijo said. Roxanne picked up Billie Grace and showed it to her. ', Heartbroken: Juliann Ashcraft wept as she paid tribute to her fallen husband Andrew on the Today show, Final moments: Mrs Ashcraft shared the final image Andrew Ashcraft texted her before the 19 firefighters were killed by the flames. She and 18 other families still won't have fathers and husbands around for birthdays and holidays. She breathedin and waited for the panic. juliann ashcraft new husband; By . were killed fighting a wildfire near Yarnell, Ariz. Final moments: Mrs Ashcraft shared the final image Andrew Ashcraft texted her before the 19 firefighters were killed by the flames, An honorary flagpole is shown at the site where the 19 firefighters died, The devastation has been described as a 'moonscape' after an inferno so intense that only the metal part of one chain saw was found, 'It still did not look as catastrophic as it turned out to be,' she said. In memory of 19 fire fighters, it said. The firefighting team was bigger than life, she said. "I don't know that that's sunk in for them, but I've not stopped thinking about that. Family photographs reveal a picture perfect family as Juliann and Andrew are seen grinning and kissing, as well as laughing along with their four young children. President Obama called the firefighters heroes and highly skilled professionals who 'put themselves in harm's way to protect the lives and property of fellow citizens they would never meet.'. As the bodies of the Granite Mountain Hotshots were recovered, it emerged that the team's 20th member survived as he was moving the crew's truck when the flames overcame his comrades. . 'We just lost 19 of some of the finest people you'll ever meet. They fought fires together. She tells peopleRoxanne was a lot like that as a child. He sent a photo of where he was sitting and what the fire looked like for them, at their lunch spot, Ashcraft said on TODAY Tuesday. 'It still did not look as catastrophic as it turned out to be,' she said. 'We grieve for the family. Ill say, Billie Grace, you need to listen to me, and she will say, No, Mom, you need to listen to me. It is hard for Roxanne not to laugh. Juliann Ashcraft said: "It was out of the ordinary for him, because he said 'this is getting wild' and 'Peoples Valley an Yarnell are looking to burn.' His grandmother told the Long Beach Press Telegram that Kevin, originally from Seal Beach, California, had been a firefighter for around four years. 'It's an extreme measure that's taken under the absolute worst conditions. Blue Ridge had helped battle the blaze that killed Billy and the hotshot crew. Nineteen shelters were deployed and some of the firefighters were found inside them, Mike Reichling from the Arizona State Forestry Division told the Arizona Republic. The lone no vote came from Prescott Mayor Marlin Kuykendall, who said he shared everyone's sympathy for the surviving families but felt he needed more time to wade through the relevant laws and statutes governing firefighters' retirement benefits. Watch Live: Closing arguments begin in double murder trial of Alex Murdaugh, Intel review says "very unlikely" foreign adversary behind "Havana Syndrome", Ex-Georgia star Jalen Carter was racing in deadly crash, arrest warrants allege, Watch Live: Garland testifies amid ongoing special counsel investigations, Fiery train crash in Greece kills dozens, many of them students. They were heroes in our home, they were heroes in our community," she said. She added that she had been sending him pictures of their children swimming that day, and how his daughter had commented that she wished he was there to see the thunder storm with them. Right now, we're in crisis. 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On July 1, the day after the men were killed, Mrs Ashcraft was pictured distraught at a makeshift memorial in Prescott for the fallen firefighters. The fire had stretched out over more than 40,000 acres. Roxanne had married Billy in 2008, but they had known each other since high school. Through my experience, I have learned life is a gift. In 2015, Roxanne had joinedJuliann Ashcraft, whose husband, Andrew, also was killed in the Yarnell Hill Fire, and Andrews mother, Deborah Pfingston, to formthe Wildland Firefighter Guardian Institute, a non-profit advocacy group. When do the clocks change in 2023? Andrew Ashcraft, 29, of Prescott, Ariz., was a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and one of 19 firefighters who died battling a fire that swept through Yarnell, Ariz . Harry is an ex-Marine with friends who are firefighters, so he, too, was tracking the fire. Juliann Ashcraft lost her husband, Andrew. It didnt come. Ashcraft, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was honored to be a member of the Hotshot crew, and 'he just had a really sweet spirit about him,' Elise Smith, a Prescott, Arizona, resident, told The Deseret News of Salt Lake City. List of 19 promises made by Andrew Sterling Ashcraft to his wife . Juliann Ashcraft always knew her husband had a dangerous job fighting wildfires, but he was one of the elite -- a Granite Mountain Hotshot. Juliann Ashcraft and her husband Andrew were twenty-somethings with four young children when he died in the line of duty in Prescott, Arizona on June 30, 2013. Roxanne remembered how Billy and the other firefighterstired of MREs and protein bars. Only six of the 19 firefighters are entitled to full-time benefits, the city claims. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. "That's why I never worried for their safety. Highly trained: Members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots (pictured last year) had been fighting wildfire in New Mexico and elsewhere in Arizona, Flames: Fire crews can be seen as a wildfire burns homes in the Glenn Ilah area near Yarnell, Arizona Sunday, Tragedy: Winds from a thunderstorm fanned the flames toward the tragic 19 hotshots, but fire chiefs did not pull out their men in time, Destroyed: The report said that by keeping crews on the mountain they were prioritizing the safety of property before the lives of its firefighters. 2013 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. 'We're devastated. The local firefighters union said of the 13 hotshots denied full benefits, Andrew Ashcraft was the only one to work 40 hours a week year round. Overwhelmed with gratitude for the strangers who sent letters and cards and offered support, Ashcraft converted a 40-foot Greyhound bus into a home on wheels and hit the road with her . Mr Ashcraft, like his colleagues, was protecting the people of Yarnell when he died, tragically leaving his young family without a husband, father or income. We grieve for the department. Juliann Ashcraft said she learned that her husband, Andrew, 29, was among the dead by watching the news with her four children. Harry wants to raise Billie Grace the way her father would have.