Memorial for fallen 19 Prescott hotshots scheduled for Tuesday
Jul 3, 2013, 4:07 PM | Updated: 6:04 pm
PHOENIX — A memorial service for 19 Prescott-based hotshots who were killed while battling the Yarnell Hill wildfire over the weekend is scheduled for Tuesday.
A procession will begin at 11 a.m. The service will take place after at the Toyota Center in Prescott Valley. The arena holds 6,000 people. Overflow crowds will be asked to stay outside, where a video feed will be provided.
The bodies were transported to the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office on Monday for autopsies, where they were greeted with a massive American flag. The fallen firefighters have been under honor guard. The bodies will be taken back to the Prescott area on Sunday at 10 a.m.
The bodies of the hotshots will be walked down passages lined with both state and national flags before being loaded into 19 hearses.
Officials with the hotshot management team say Phoenix Fire Department
personnel and the Arizona Honor Guard will accompany the 19 hearses on the
80-mile procession.
The fire has burned about 8,400 acres and destroyed 129 homes. It is 8 percent contained.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
For volunteer, fundraising and other ways to assist those affected by the Yarnell Hill Fire, go to yarnellfallenfirefighters.com.
