Arizona Settles With 12 Granite Mountain Hotshot Families After the Yarnell Hill Fire

On June 30, 2013, the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a 20-person crew based in Prescott, Arizona, were fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire when a sudden wind shift drove the flames back across their position. Nineteen of the firefighters died after deploying their emergency shelters in heavy brush, unable to reach a safety zone in time. One crew member, working as the lookout from a separate ridge, survived. It was the deadliest day for wildland firefighters in the United States in decades.

The men who died ranged from seasonal crew members in their early twenties to veteran squad leaders. They left behind wives, young children, and parents. State workplace-safety investigators later found that the Arizona State Forestry Division had put the protection of property ahead of firefighter safety, and they cited the agency for violations carrying roughly $559,000 in penalties.

Gallagher & Kennedy attorneys Patrick McGroder and Matthew Boatman represented 12 of the families in a wrongful-death claim against the State Forestry Division. Their notice of claim sought $220 million. McGroder told reporters the families were not chasing a large payout. "Our clients wanted transparency and change," he said, framing the case as a push for reform rather than compensation.

On June 29, 2015, the two sides announced a settlement. Each of the 12 families that sued would receive $50,000. The state also agreed to pay $10,000 to each of seven other families that had not joined the suit, and it dropped its appeal of the workplace-safety fines, redirecting that money toward safety training. Attorney General Mark Brnovich helped negotiate the agreement.

Beyond the cash, the State Forestry Division committed to a list of 32 steps the families had requested. Those included a question-and-answer session led by the National Wildfire Coordinating Group, a staff ride walking firefighters through the events of that day, expanded training for the initial attack on new fires, and a pledge to serve as a testing site for new radio and GPS tracking equipment. The reforms were a good-faith commitment rather than a binding court order, and their implementation rested with the agency director's discretion.

The $220 million claim resolved for $600,000 to the 12 families who sued, with another $70,000 split among the seven families outside the case.