PRESCOTT, Ariz. — Before dawn, Juliann Ashcraft kissed her husband goodbye as he left their home to join his wildfire crew, the Granite Mountain Hotshots. Andrew Ashcraft promised to text her during the day, as always.
Andrew’s first message came about 5:45 a.m. Sunday, about half an hour after he’d left home. Andrew, 29, tall and strapping, was heading to the fire in Yarnell that was threatening homes.
As the crew went into the hills, Juliann took their four children to a nearby pool.
Another text from Andrew arrived: “I think I’m going to be out here a while on this one.”
And later: “It’s getting really wild out here — Peeples Valley is trying to burn down.”
Juliann, a 28-year-old with flowing red hair who also sports a small stud earring in her nose and colorful tattoos, was not fazed. Her husband had fought big fires before, including one a week earlier. She sent him pictures of the kids swimming.
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