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  • Arizona Desert Walker Joy A. Collura and
    • Sep 12, 2023

Are these numerous, up to now, (un)revealed photos, audio, and videos posted here, sufficient eviden

Are these numerous, up to now, (un)revealed photos, audio, and videos posted here, sufficient evidence to answer whether there was a Firing Operation on the afternoon of June 30, 2013, in the Sesame Street and Shrine area that influenced YH Fire structure loss and the GMHS fatalities?


2018-07-23 | Arizona Desert Walker Joy A. Collura and contributing other(s)


Views expressed to "the public at large” and "of public concern"


DISCLAIMER: Please fully read the front page of the website (link below) before reading any of the posts ( www.yarnellhillfirerevelations.com )

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What follows will be a bringing together or compilation of the numerous fire behavior/smoke column (plume) photos, videos, audio, and explanations from posts already located on this website. I am including some new ones that I discovered during my research and they suggest how the SAIT-SAIR (mis)managed their records. You will be amazed to see where some photos laid. Is it possible that these strongly support evidence of a rogue Firing Operation that likely occurred late afternoon, June 30, 2013, in the locally known Yarnell Fuel/Fire Break area along the Sesame Street and Shrine Corridor? You will notice that some of the original captions may be modified for clarification purposes. I placed relevant commentary about each photo, video, or audio being referenced, directly below the specific numbered Figure being addressed in what follows underneath. I believe that this 'visual and auditory evidence' of a Firing Operation based solely on posted photos and videos has been repeatedly vouched for by numerous current and former WFs. These WFs' verifications are based on their varied experiences on wildland fires and wide-ranging firing operations experiences regarding the progression of the firing operation and the progression of smoke columns (plumes). In addition, these numerous current and former WFs indicate that one other Firing Operation's sure verification is the resultant even and uniform fire edges compared to irregular and fingery (resembling fingers in shape) fire perimeters are much more difficult to control and hold onto while firing. Note: the word "plumes" is mentioned throughout because "locals" seem to prefer the term over "columns" when examining smoke.

Would my webpage fall under "fact" or "opinion" or "professional opinion," thoughts of those in the WFs industry or "suggestive evidence" category? Are there issues in my sharing as the eyewitness or are there issues in the lack of sharing from the SAIT- SAIR? I am here to challenge what the so called SAIT "experts" concluded in the SAIR. I believe the SAIT did a piss poor job of the fire investigation that I was at and endured-

Supporting this evidence is and was a video, current whereabouts unknown. Therefore, myself and others, over time and education, knew of what is referred to as a Firing Operation after we watched this video in July 2013. There was most definitely a Firing Operation in that area from what we saw based on the WFs present during the video viewing. As far as the video viewing - on or about mid- to late July 2013 - myself, Tex Gilligan; and a retired long-term Division Chief (FMO) WF and Operations Section Chief (OPS) 2 on an Incident Management Team 2, as well as an IM Contributor from out-of-state, and others, for a total of 20 individuals that watched and listened to it inside the Yarnell Library. These several video viewers included Yarnell-area local residents that viewed a still, anonymous and unidentified videographer's raw video footage of what was a definite Firing Operation on June 30, 2013. This videoed firing operation was obviously in the Shrine areas based on a recognizable rock wall in the video, where we watched a few FF's and/or WFs wearing green fire pants and yellow fire shirts along with fire vehicles, used drip torch(es) to burn out along a road. After we viewed this video in mid- to late July 2013, that video disappeared from whoever owned it and wherever it was, similar to many other YH Fire records that somehow just manage to vanish.

Since you have chosen to visit this website and read and ponder the articles and such I have posted here, your particular area(s) of interest would be to intuitively capture the idea that individuals generally read publications that are ideologically or philosophically quite similar.

Additionally, you might agree that Internet users that regularly read opinionated articles and posts are almost exclusively exposed to only one side of the ideological field. However, in this case - exposing the truth about the YH Fire debacle requires me to challenge and expose the SAIT-SAIR and more for what I feel they are - FRAUDS. If I, as the housewife hiker, have a lot of heavily redacted public records and FOIAs, and I have come to the conclusions posted on this website based on my level of knowledge, then these "investigators" who did have the unredacted records and concluded their "fairy-tale" which ended up disappointing the eyewitness; me, of the Yarnell Hill Fire and so many others who read the SAIT - SAIR.

I am much more forgiving toward the ADOSH investigators, and in an unbiased way, because I believed during that time frame politics played into their investigation, not allowing them the same access to all types of material(s) compared to the SAIT "investigators." One of the things that comes to mind is the fact that Dr. Ted Putnam, one of the nation's lead fire fatality investigation experts, was available and willing but never assigned to the SAIT. I think that is rather odd to exclude him when so many WFs died in this historic, preventable tragedy.

In this sense, I have come to believe, based on credible research regarding Internet searches, that nearly all of the SAIT-SAIR believers exist in so-called "echo chambers" in which individuals are largely exposed to compliant or conforming opinions. In laboratory experiments, participants usually tend to choose articles from those medias aligned within their own worldviews according to Lelkes and Yphtach (2016, Mass Polarization: Manifestations and Measurements).

Hopefully, this website will challenge you to stray far and wide from that compliant and conforming opinion group to just "follow the crowd" and "toe the line" and "Just be a Team Player, don't rock the boat, and just go along to get along" mindset. Our Country was not founded by "Team Players." To that end, the YH Fire SAIT-SAIR presented to the world, regarding the IMT and the GMHS that: "The judgments and decisions of the incident management organizations managing this fire were reasonable. Firefighters performed within their scope of duty, as defined by their respective organizations found no indication of negligence, reckless actions, or violations of policy or protocol." (pp. 3-4, emphasis added) Are you kidding me? How is that possible to do everything correctly and 19 men die in one fell swoop?

Ask just about any experienced FF or WF or even the (un)informed publics if they are divided on the highly emotional, and therefore, contentious YH Fire question and you might be chided for asking an obvious question or you might be chastised for asking it and told to "forget about it" and "just let it go." So then, it's either consistency and convergence or it's divergence and disagreement, which just may include some common ground between the two groups. Then there are those that are expected to support "the cause," that accuse anyone and everyone who challenges the SAIT- SAIR as Conspiracy Theorists, especially those who post on the InvestigativeMedia website. I feel that they have been unscrupulously marked by these naysayers as "people who attack, harass, hide in the shadows and post anonymously, snoop, slander and much more" and anyone and everyone who refuses to "just let it go." Refer to the numerous InvestigativeMEDIA posts interspersed throughout the website articles. This also includes all of us that have engaged in ongoing sincere, steadfast, truth-seeking discussions about the epic YH Fire.

Which side have you chosen? If you are yet undecided, hopefully, I will be able to hopefully show you what really happened on the YH Fire on June 30, 2013 and why it happened. And, of course, what we can do to prevent or lessen these types of wildland fire fatal mistakes in the future.

Posted below will be the June 27th to July 18th images and videos posted here on this website that reveal fire behavior and smoke columns (plumes). There is a YouTube video I posted at the end of this post that is a collage of recently revealed, anomalously shared videos and photos that will surprise you. Then again, maybe not.

Seriously consider and ask yourselves - do these evidences convincingly support what others have witnessed and/or told me about on the June 30, 2013, Firing Operation likely to have influenced the Yarnell area structure loss and the Granite Mountain Hot Shot (GMHS) fatalities later that afternoon? Most of these images and videos and others have been (un)disclosed to the Wildland Firefighting community and the general public until now. In addition, some of the information I passed along and told to the Serious Accident Investigation Team (SAIT) was IGNORED by them. Some of the information I passed on to the SAIT was never passed on by them to the AZ Department of Safety and Health (ADOSH) Investigators, and it was good to know that when the ADOSH Investigators received my information they thanked me. I enclosed that thank you in the audio segment below.

Figure 1. (Audio) of ADOSH attorney voice mail thanking JOY A COLLURA for her assistance with the YH Fire investigation. Source: Joy A. Collura's Voice Mail

The Bible tells us to "Prove all things and hold fast that which is good." (1 Thessalonians 5:21 KJV) And so, that is my goal, to prove that what the SAIT-SAIR presented about the YH Fire is far short of the truth compared to what I eye-witnessed on June 28-30, 2013 and especially on June 30, 2013. Furthermore, I feel that it is more like blatant deception and falsehood, totally deprived of the truth and totally devoid of any true valuable lessons learned for those of you that actually do the work, the ones that perform the inherently dangerous work in the Wildland Firefighting Community according to what I have learned from those of you in that line of work.

Figure 2. View of smoke columns (plumes) on June 30, 2013 at 15:51:39 PM from Crest Way and Happy Way looking westerly. Note the obviously separate and distinct smoke column left of the telephone pole which clearly suggests a firing operation is taking place. Source: Chuck Kristensen

Figure 3. View of smoke columns (plumes) on June 30, 2013 at 15:52:45 PM. This is the triangle that connects Fountain Hills to Lakewood Drive looking toward the Sesame Street to The Shrine areas. These smoke columns (plumes) of somewhat faint separate and distinct smoke columns continue to suggest that a firing operation is taking place Source: Chuck Kristensen

Figure 4. View of smoke columns (plumes) on June 30, 2013 at Crest Way and Happy Way looking westerly. Note the obviously separate and distinct smoke columns both left and right of the telephone pole which clearly suggests a progression of the firing operation taking place as seen in Figure 2 above. Source: Chuck Kristensen

Figure 5. View of smoke columns (plumes) on June 30, 2013 at 16:04:36 PM near Crestway and Tabletop Way looking between The Shrine (not visible), Harper Canyon, and the U-Stow-It. Source: Chuck Kristensen

The four Kristensen photos (Figures 2-5) above have timestamps of 15.51.39 ( 3:51:39 PM ) through 16.04.36 (4:04:36 PM ) and can be assumed to be 'accurate.' These were not originals and all four of these photos have the tell-tale 'Software: Google' alteration signature. In addition, the FILENAMES have been preserved and there seem to be accurate TIMESTAMPS in the photo file names themselves (which Google has not messed with).

Figure 6. The photo above is a GOOGLE EARTH Street View image noting specific June 30, 2013 FF / WF activity areas of interest (i.e. GMHS Mackenzie photo spot, Deployment Site, etc.) minus the actual fire scenes as seen in the above photos.Source: Google Earth, WantsToKnowTheTruth (WTKTT)

Figure 7. (IMG_1334.JPG photo) View looking westerly from the Yarnell, AZ as photographer was traveling NORTH on Highway 89, north of the Ranch House restaurant (the building on left is Assembly of God church) on June 30, 2013 at (16:29:39) 4:29:39 PM of aggressive fire behavior and associated smoke column (plume) advancing toward the Helms / Boulder Springs Ranch (BSR) area. Source: Brian Lauber


This photo was given to alleged SAIT Human Factors Investigator Brad Mayhew; it was never included in the SAIT-SAIR. Instead, they used an idealized image in Figure 10. below from the SAIT-SAIR to support the alleged fire from above and below lie.


Figure 8. (IMG_1335.JPG photo) View looking westerly from the Yarnell, AZ as photographer was traveling NORTH on Highway 89, north of the Ranch House restaurant (Assembly of God church is on the right) on June 30, 2013 at exactly 4:29:53 PM (16:29:53), 14 seconds after IMG_1334.JPG photo in the Figure 7 photo of very aggressive fire behavior and associated smoke column (plume) advancing toward the Helms / Boulder Springs Ranch (BSR) area. Source: Brian Lauber


This photo was given to SAIT Human Factors Investigator Brad Mayhew; it was never included in the SAIT-SAIR.

You will readily note that there is only fire below and NO fire above when comparing the real, truthful photos in Figures 7 & 8 above to the fictional idealized image in Figure 10. Some will argue that there was or "could have been" fire from above. Trust me, there was NO fire from above as alleged in the SAIT-SAIR and by PFD WBC Willis. See the quote from Willis immediately below contained in the "How does one effectively lead by example? Extreme ownership must apply ..." YHFR post dated July 5, 2018.


" ... they knew that they had fire on both sides of them, they knew they had fire behind them and now they had fire ahead of them." Bulls**t! Willis' statement is really one of the only places and times that this alleged "fact" is mentioned. See Figure 8. below and compare it with reality, at the Figure 8a. photo of June 30, 2013, at 1629 (4:29 PM) taken by ASF Brian Lauber of very aggressive fire behavior with no sign of any alleged "fire above."

I allege that this fits the SAIT habit of first establishing a "conclusion" and then finding the "facts" to fit their preconceived "conclusion" addressed elsewhere in a separate post on this website.

Google Earth overlay enhancement of the Figure 9 photo below is very informative and instructive and will help to put all this into perspective, where the GMHS were and their travel route of the Weavers to their Deployment Zone.

Figure 9. Google Earth overlay image of Figure 7 view looking westerly from the Yarnell, AZ Ranch House restaurant on June 30, 2013 at about 1629 (4:29 PM) of very aggressive fire behavior and associated smoke column (plume) advancing toward the Helms / Boulder Springs Ranch (BSR) area. The uppermost red icon on the ridge is the GMHS Mackenzie photo spot, the curved yellow line is the ridgetop and/or midslope road, the middle red icon in the saddle on the ridgetop is the GMHS "descent point" down to the next red icon at the GMHS Deployment Site, and the lowest red icon is the Helms, BSR. Source: Brian Lauber (AZSF) and InvestigativeMEDIA (IM) contributor

As painful as it may be to some, bear in mind that the GMHS have supposedly left their Lunch Spot / Safety Zone without notifying anyone and they are hiking right down into some serious danger. Regarding Figures 7 & 8, just to the left of the smoke column (plume) and the line of fire in both of these photos is the ‘hazy’ mountain ridge seen in the background which was the exact ‘southern route’ that the GMHS took to reach the saddle and then drop into the box canyon. Even though the line of fire out in the middle-bowl is approaching the MOUTH of the box canyon, there are only supposedly 540 seconds before GMHS Steed’s first MAYDAY.

Significantly, there is NO EVIDENCE in these photos that the line of fire was ALSO simultaneously ‘crawling up’ those back ridges towards the saddle as the SAIT-SAIR fireline images suggested in the SAIT-SAIR idealized image in Figure 10 below. It’s just not happening. So that puts a big damper on the ‘theory’ that the GMHS saw fire both AHEAD OF and BEHIND them (up on the saddle they descended from) at 4:39 PM when the first MAYDAY went out. The above Figures 7-8 photos are from the AZ Department of Safety and Health (ADOSH) ASFD misc. photos file, taken with an ‘iPhone 4′ on 30 June 2013; timestamps can be considered ‘Network times’ and ‘accurate.’ These pictures show the main fireline as it approached the mouth of the box canyon circa 4:29 PM, actually just a few seconds shy of 4:30 PM.

Figure 10. Idealized image of SAIT-SAIR Figure 18 on page 77 that falsely concluded: "Fire splitting with south head entering the middle bowl and north head moving toward the entrapment bowl." Source: YH Fire SAIT-SAIR

The SAIT-SAIR states: "... [The fire] moved from along the base of the main ridge and reached the bottom of the middle bowl, one-half mile south-southeast of the origin, and split into two heads. The southern head entered an unnamed drainage that this report refers to as the “middle bowl.” (SAIT-SAIR page 77) (emphasis added) The photos in Figures 7-8 definitely indicate only fire in the basin, not "Fire split into two heads." Now closely compare and consider those photos above to the SAIT-SAIR idealized image in Figure 10 which follows the deceptive practice of establishing the "conclusion(s) first, then facts to support it."

I feel that this intentional duplicity has been occurring since the fatalities on the 1949 Mann Gulch Fire and the subsequent Board of Review, according to former US Forest Service lead fatality fire investigator in the nation, Dr. Ted Putnam, where the District Ranger (DR) had to testify first and nobody was allowed to contradict his testimony. Wag Dodge's statement that: "We were burnt out from below" certainly contradicted the DR's testimony. See Dr. Ted Putnam's paper titled "Accident, Accident Guides, Stories, and Truth" posted at his Academia.edu site

Figure 11. MARY NGUYEN Channel 12 News photo of June 30, 2013 at 1631 (4:31 PM) of very aggressive fire behavior advancing toward the Helms and BSR area. This is a full two minutes after the 1629 (4:29 PM) Brian Lauber photos above in Figures 7-9. Source: Channel 12 News photo

Next, consider this article from KPNX 12 News article titled "Tribute center for Granite Mountain Hotshots ready to open" by Jessica De Nova. It was published and updated on June 25, 2018.

The Channel 12 News article has an informative slide show located in the middle of the article with 30 photos of the YH Fire from their original archives. Photo number 16 (Figure 11) is particularly instructive. It appears to be a new one and never seen before. In a word, it is IMPORTANT. It may be the best photographic evidence yet of the YH Fire movement entering the box canyon minutes before all the GMHS would be burned over, shared with me by one IM contributor.

The photo was taken the afternoon of June 30, 2013, just south of the Ranch House Restaurant, on the east side of Highway 89 and looking out towards the box canyon and the deployment site. It was taken at exactly 4:31 PM, just 8 minutes before the GMHS initial emergency radio call was recorded at exactly 4:39 PM.

The one who interpreted the photo metadata ( and InvestigativeMEDIA (IM) contributor) is pretty confident with "exactly 4:31 PM" because this particular photo was taken with a network-connected iPhone 4S that always obtains accurate date/time information directly from the cellular network and the original photo sitting on the ’12 News’ server still has all that (accurate) EXIF metadata embedded in the photograph itself. This particular photo is also important because it appears to disprove a number of claims made in the original SAIT-SAIR.

This June 30, 2013, 4:31 PM photograph (Figure 11) was used to create the cross-fade video below from the photograph itself into the absolute equivalent ‘Google Earth’ view below in Figure 12. That photo ‘cross-fade’ and ‘fly-around’ is located at: ( Yarnell-1631-crossfade-1 https://youtu.be/_p6h5m6_W0k ) The KPNX 12 News article posted at InvestigativeMEDIA post June 27, 2018 at 11:41 pm ( http://www.investigativemedia.com/please-begin-yarnell-hill-fire-chapter-xxvi-here/#comment-474595 )

Figure 12. Cross-fade video of June 30, 2013 at 1631 (4:31 PM) of Figure 11, Channel 12 News photo above. This is a ‘through the looking glass’ cross-fades from the photograph itself into the absolute equivalent ‘Google Earth’ view. After the cross-fade it ‘flies around’ the Yarnell/Glen Ilah area showing exactly where the line of fire was at 4:31 PM, as seen in the Figure 11 photo. The video ends back where it starts where the photo was taken and then ‘cross-fades’ back up into the original photo again. Source: Channel 12 News, Google Earth, and IM contributor.

Figure 13.‎ View of increasing fire behavior and flames faintly visible within the darkened smoke columns (plumes) still retaining some faint characteristics of separate and distinct columns (plumes); photo taken from South Lakewood Drive in Yarnell, AZ on Sunday, ‎June ‎30, ‎2013, ‏‎4:08:32 PM with a Canon EOS REBEL T3 camera. Source: Yavapai County Records Request 7-9-14 \ SAIT Report and Documents \ A30-20130630 Tom Garigan Photos (IMG_4254 image)

Figure 14. Enhanced view of clearly visible fire behavior within smoke (plume) column along South Lakewood Drive in Yarnell, AZ; used snipping tool to isolate and augment Figure 13 photo image above for better flame visibility within the smoke. Source: Yavapai County Records Request 7-9-14 \ SAIT Report and Documents \ A30-20130630 Tom Garigan Photos (IMG_4254 image)

Figure 15. Google Earth view sight-line (yellow) derived from Garigan photo image IMG_4245 along South Lakewood Drive in Yarnell, AZ looking northwesterly as in Figures 13 & 14 above. Red icon "M" is GMHS Lunch Spot and Safety Zone and Mackenzie photo point, red "G" icon is "'Old Grader Site' referred to in the SAIT-SAIR, and the red "D" icon is the GMHS Deployment Site near the Helms / BSR. Source: Google Earth and IM Contributor

Figure 16. Google Earth ruler feature view sight-line (yellow) derived from Garigan photo image IMG_4245 along South Lakewood Drive in Yarnell, AZ looking northwesterly as in Figures 13 & 14 above. Snipping Tool was used to show 'sight-line' (yellow) of view from above ground, looking northwesterly toward smoke columns (plumes) and fire behavior as seen in Figures 13 & 14. Upper yellow pin is origination of sight-line ruler at the Yarnell Fuel/Fire Break and the lower yellow pin depicts photographer's location at a heading of 148.43 degrees for a ground distance of .92 miles from the Yarnell Fuel/Fire Break towards the photographer site (lower yellow pin) based on photo insert data in upper middle right of image. Highway 89 runs north through this part of Yarnell. Source: Google Earth, Collura

Figure 17. Video of June 30, 2013 at 1555 (3:55 PM) taken from the towers on Antelope Peak in Yarnell, AZ. Very active fire behavior in the Sesame/Shrine areas. Source: Anonymous-by-request persons

Figure 18. Fire behavior image at 1555 (3:55 PM), June 30, 2013. Active fire behavior in the Sesame/Shrine areas with a definite separate and distinct vertical column (plume) to the left. Source: Anonymous-by-request persons

Figure 19. (audio) Yavapai County Sheriff Office (YCSO) Officer notifying a fellow officer on the radio - 'I got eyes on a fire along [Highway] 89 here - I am going to say 400-500 yards west of the road and a fire topping the hill above Yarnell'; "Eyes on a fire" 2013-06-30_16.29.29_Ch18 YCSO radio transmission recordings. Yavapai County Records Request 7-9-14\Audio video recordings\Radio Transmissions\yar rad 063013\6.30.13 403pm\YCSO radio transmission recordings 2013-06-30_16.29.29_Ch18/; Image used for audio is from Google Earth; Figure 20 below red lines indicate measurement of 400-500 yards from Hwy 89 in Yarnell, AZ looking westerly. Source: Yavapai County Records

Figure 20. Image of audio above since Figure 19 was blurry. The long typing on Google Earth (Source) image - the yellow pushpin is not the Fire Fuel Break - it is the dirt road underneath it because putting it where it belonged would have covered the dirt path; red lines indicate measurement of 400-500 yards from Hwy 89 in Yarnell, AZ looking westerly.. Source: Google Earth

Figure 21. Screenshot - idealized image indicating from where many local residents took photos (blue star) on June 30, 2013; The Shrine and Sesame Street Fuel / Fire Break Corridor (white line), BSR / Helms (white/black rectangle "BSR"), Wash (chute) Area (left white arrow), and the GMHS Deployment Site (white oval / black "DZ" within white rectangle). Note the obvious northwesterly alignment of the natural wash (chute) with the Fire Break (southwesterly to northwesterly alignment) leading right into the June 30, 2013 GMHS Deployment Site. That chute/wash is an uphill alignment to the "DZ." Source: Google Earth

Figure 22. Blue Ridge Hotshots ( Mccord ) photo.This is the view on Sunday, June 30, 2013, at (1627:23) 4:27:23 PM of smoke columns (plumes) with dark smoke indicative of increasing and/or intense fire behavior at an unknown time from somewhere in the Shrine area. Metadata included: File Size: 2.3 MB Camera Make: NIKON Camera Model Name: COOLPIX S01 for June 30, 2013.

Source: Thomas Woodley Records Request 9-10-14\A08-20130630 Blue Ridge Hotshot Photos Videos

At 4:27 PM on June 30, 2013, is the exact same time that Blue Ridge Hotshot Ronald Gamble was sitting in the driver's seat of one of the Blue Ridge Crew Carriers over at the Youth Camp, waiting for the rest of the Blue Ridge Crew to come off the dozer line and 'load up' into the Crew Carrier(s). That is exactly when he shot his 'YARNELL-GAMBLE.MOV' video of the flames just then coming over the ridge above Harper Canyon. That is the video where we hear someone apparently telling Eric Marsh that it would be good if Granite Mountain could "get to town a little faster"... and then Marsh replies "They're comin' from the heel of the fire."

Figure 23. IMG_3954 photo on Sunday, June 30, 2103, at 4:29:40 PM ‏‎(1629:40); View of fire behavior on hillside in the Sesame/Shrine area with FFs, FF vehicles, and UTVs visible in the center of the photo. Source: Thomas Woodley Records Request 9-10-14\A08-20130630 Blue Ridge Hotshot Photos Videos

Figure 24. IMG_3955 photo on ‎Sunday, ‎June ‎30, ‎2013, ‏‎4:29:42 PM ‏‎(1629:42); View of fire behavior on hillside same as photo image in Figure 23 above in the Sesame/Shrine area with FFs, vehicles, and UTVs visible in the center of the photo. Source: Thomas Woodley Records Request 9-10-14\A08-20130630 Blue Ridge Hotshot Photos Videos

Figure 25. IMG_3956.jpg photo on Sunday, June 30, 2103, at ‏‎4:29:48 PM (1629:48) View of increasing fire behavior on hillside above in the Sesame/Shrine area with two Glendale (AZ) FD vehicles pictured, the left one is a Type 6 engine and the right one is a Battalion Chief Command vehicle. Source: Thomas Woodley Records Request 9-10-14\A08-20130630 Blue Ridge Hotshot Photos Videos\Yarnell-Wardemups

Figure 26. IMG_3956.jpg photo on Sunday, June 30, 2013, at 3957 Sunday, ‎June ‎30, ‎2013, ‏‎4:35:06 PM view of smoke increasing column (plume) along Sesame Street heading toward the Helms / BSR. Blue/grey colored house in Yarnell, AZ next to the Assembly of God church to the right (outside photo) off of Hwy. 89. It is a permissible inference that this would likely be where the GMHS were hiking downslope into the valley below about this time. Source: Thomas Woodley Records Request 9-10-14\A08-20130630 Blue Ridge Hotshot Photos Videos\Yarnell-Wardemups

Figure 27. IMG_3957.2.jpg photo on Sunday, ‎June ‎30, ‎2013, at 4:35:06 PM (1635:06) View of Lakewood Street looking southwesterly at increasing smoke column (plume) advancing south towards the Helms / BSR. The purpose or focus of the yellow oval is unknown, however, it is a permissible inference that this would likely be where the GMHS were hiking downslope into the valley below about this time. Source: Thomas Woodley Records Request 9-10-14\A08-20130630 Blue Ridge Hotshot Photos Videos\Yarnell-Wardemups

Figure 28. IMG_3958.jpg photo on Sunday, ‎June ‎30, ‎2013, at ‏‎4:35:14 PM (1635:14) View of Lakewood Street looking southwesterly at increasing smoke column (plume) advancing south towards the Helms / BSR. It is a permissible inference that this would likely be where the GMHS were hiking downslope into the valley below about this time. Source: Thomas Woodley Records Request 9-10-14\A08-20130630 Blue Ridge Hotshot Photos Videos\Yarnell-Wardemups

Figure 29. Image of PVFD Water Tender photo by Bob Brandon on the YH Fire on June 30, 2013 in the Sesame/Shrine areas and the time unknown. Source: Daily Courier originally published June 30, 2014

Figure 30. Screenshot of Figure 31 video (M2U00263) clip below of easily identified Peeples Valley FD (PVFD) Water Tender definitely exiting the Shrine area Youth Camp based on the "No Outlet" sign and the types of trees, on June 30, 2013 at around 4:42 (1642) PM. The length of the M2U0026 video is 3: 27 seconds. The approximate start of M2U00263 is 4:30.21 PM and the approximate end is at 4:30.48 PM video. See Figure 28 caption for further details. Source: AZSF, USFS, and YouTube

According to an IM contributor, these times are based on another Blue Ridge photo (in the 'Papich' folder) that was taken from INSIDE the Blue Ridge Crew Carrier as it was being driven out of the Youth Camp. It was taken with an iPhone with network timestamps, so the time on taht photo can be trusted. That photo taken from inside the moving Crew Carrier was used to determine when it passed by the Shrine parking lot the PNF WF's camera, which in turn gives a good estimate of the actual start time for PNF WF's M2U00263 video above in Figure 30.

Figure 31. Video clip (M2U00263) of easily identified Peeples Valley FD (PVFD) Water Tender definitely exiting the Shrine area Youth Camp based on the "No Outlet" sign and the types of trees on June 30, 2013 at about 4:30:21 PM (1631:21) when the vehicles were passing the PNF WF's camera. The vehicles were all filmed exiting the Shrine area BEFORE the actual "MAYDAY" video was filmed at 4:39 PM, so all the vehicles were OUT of the Youth Camp well before 4:42 PM. The numerous WFs in the video discuss what they are hearing over the radio on the Air-to-Ground (A/G) Channel about the ongoing GMHS entrapment predicament. At least one clearly identifiable Blue Ridge Hot Shot Crew (BRHS) Carrier drives past the videographer. It is likely that the second BRHS Crew Carrier trailed directly behind them, however, the video cuts out just prior to being able to positively identify whether it is the second BRHS Crew Carrier or some other vehicle. Source: AZSF, USFS, and YouTube

Figure 32. Video clip "FULL Helmet Camera Video from Yarnell Hill Fire (M2U00265)" by Elizabeth Nowicki. ( https://youtu.be/6SFzv4YNuWU ) MOST IMPORTANT TO LISTEN TO the 6:50 and 7:50 portion where "Group 1" is calling "Task Force 2 on TAC 3" notifying him he has "... fire at Lakwood and Manzanita Road intersection" while very intense rolling fire is seen in the smoke column (plume) in the upper left half of the video screen. Source: Elizabeth Nowicki (her public records on YHF)

Manzanita Road is within The Shrine area to the left on that old Fuel/Fire Break Corridor headed to Sesame and Manzanita Road is the "real" road; Sesame Street was made when the television show first came out, the owners made a homemade sign that still exists all these decades later saying "SESAME STREET" (fact checked with Maria Luissa Wasson; administrator to the Shrine and owner of the Sesame areas). This is the well known "Granite Mountain 7" and Bravo 33 A/G transmissions about them being cut off.

Figure 33. Video link revealing a firing operation somewhere along any of the three main dirt "jeep" roads and several arterial dirt "jeep" roads that lead to the 'Old Grader Site.' A USFS Type 3 Engine and WFs are firing out along the road using drip torches. Source: AZ State Forestry (AZSF) ( https://dffm.az.gov/new-video-clips )

That is one of the other videos taken by one of the PNF employees and was part of the '21 videos' eventually released by U.S. Forestry. It was taken by either of the three PNF WFs. It's never been nailed down which PNF employee took that particular video. The video could possibly be taking place along the Hays Ranch Rd. There were Firing Operations actions done as those crews were evacuating from the "Double Bar A Ranch." They were told to 'light up' Hays Ranch Road on their way out. Yarnell FD FF Leonard Hunter and other FFs/WFs shared their accounts and photos with me that stated and showed to me that this could be from that area. But the SAIR- SAIT do a piss poor job of labeling crucial videos and photos.

Why did "they," the SAIT, not source this video with the time and location and who specifically took the video?

Do any of you reading this post have any information to share with me in this area? If you do, please contact me, so that I can update this post.

Figure 34. Video collage of numerous formerly unseen videos and photos revealing how the SAIT possessed these same records yet never disclosed them maybe because several were (in)correctly located in GMHS Wade Parker folder LA , including one with two red and white Hot Shot Crew Carriers parked in the unburned in the Sesame area with active fire bearing down on them. The SAIT's original caption comments are quite instructive and reveal their (in)competence. Source: Yavapai County Records Request 7-9-14\SAIT Report and Documents\F-Photos And Videos\A32-20130630 Wade Parker Microsoft Word Document (.docx)

Figure 35. Screenshot image above of the photo included within the Figure 34 video collage containing the image of two red and white Hot Shot Crew Carriers parked in the unburned in the Sesame area with active fire bearing down on them (in)competently located in the "Wade Parker Photo LA Times Properties" US Forest Service folder. Source: Yavapai County Records Request 7-9-14\SAIT Report and Documents\F-Photos And Videos\A32-20130630 Wade Parker Microsoft Word Document (.docx)

This quotation below ("Newly Acquired Yarnell Hill Video") was included in the AZSF public record releasing the June 30, 2013 video clips, HOWEVER, "they" provided no metadata on dates and no metadata on times and no metadata on locations or who took the video for these potentially useful video clips. Some in the file had portions completely blacked out.

The Figure 32 video clip titled: "FULL Helmet Camera Video from Yarnell Hill Fire (M2U00265)" by Elizabeth Nowicki. This 6:50 and 7:50 portion may very well have been the radio transmissions ignored on this video clip because the GMHS fatalities had happened and nobody considered that a rogue firing operation had occurred and likely contributed to their demise.

So then, is it fair to say that these "allowed" or "released" USFS video clips "presented exactly as they have been received" by the AZSF are part of the likely Firing Operation that occurred along the Sesame Street and Shrine Corridor and both the AZSF and the USFS have something to hide?

"Newly Acquired Yarnell Hill Video - On November 7, 2014, the following video clips were received by Arizona State Forestry through a Freedom of Information Act request to the US Forest Service. To be transparent with the public, the videos are presented exactly as they have been received. The redactions were done before these videos came into the possession of Arizona State Forestry." and "Arizona State Forestry has not received any identifying or clarifying information from the Forest Service." (Source: IM contributor) (emphasis added)

So then, breaking this down, this explanation implies that the USFS originally had these videos, likely because the videographers were USFS employees, AND because the reason all 21 of those videos taken by the PNF employees don’t appear in the original online IM ‘SAIT’ evidence folder is because the SAIT was breaking the law and WITHHOLDING that evidence. And it appears that maybe the US Forest Service was also busy 'editing' Public Record photos as well as videos based on the Figure 35 screenshot metadata. I believe that Mike Dudley and the SAIT always had all 21 videos ‘in their possession’ but they consciously chose to WITHHOLD that evidence from all legal Arizona Open Records requests for the SAIT evidence material AND they decided to break additional laws by also WITHHOLDING that evidence from the official Arizona Government Agency (ADOSH) with the full legal mandate and authority to completely investigate all Arizona workplace related fatalities. I think that the only reason those 21 videos ever surfaced at all was because of a ‘followup’ FOIA request made by InvestigativeMEDIA, once it became obvious that there WERE more ‘videos’ and that they WERE being ‘withheld.' Once it became known that the original ‘Helmet Cam’ video clip that was actually quoted in the original SAIT-SAIR was shot by PNF employee(s), then the InvestigativeMEDIA was then able to ‘target’ a specific FOIA request directly to the PNF requesting ALL Yarnell related videos from ANY PNF employee. Until that happened, I believe that Mike Dudley and the rest of the SAIT thought they were in the clear and that they were going to get away with ‘hiding’ these videos forever, but once that follow-up FOIA request targeted the now-known actual SOURCE of all the videos and the proverbial cat was out of the bag and they knew they were going to have to finally release those videos. I believe that’s when they decided to do a classic “get out in front of the story” move and they then ‘pretended’ that AZSF itself had requested all 21 videos and they then made sure AZSF had a chance to ‘publish’ them first, before fulfilling the original InvestigativeMEDIA FOIA request. There are other emails also obtained by InvestigativeMEDIA which show USFS employees talking to their own lawyers about how to TRY and make this all ‘look good’ once they realized they were going to have to fulfill a valid FOIA request for the videos. When they actually finally fulfilled InvestigativeMEDIA’s ‘follow-up’ FOIA request, it was ‘announced’ in the following public article on InvestigativeMEDIA article titled: InvestigativeMEDIA posts first set of Forest Service videos. Published: November 17, 2014 - By John Dougherty

( http://www.investigativemedia.com/investigativemedia-posts-first-set-of-forest-service-videos/ ) From the article: "InvestigativeMEDIA has posted 12 of the 21 videos released by the U.S. Forest Service in response to its October 13, 2014 Freedom of Information Act request." The videos were uploaded directly to a Dropbox account from the DVD the Forest Service mailed to InvestigativeMEDIA in early November. The remaining 9 videos were uploaded to very large files to their Dropbox folder. The remaining 9 videos (bringing the total to 21) appeared in the same Dropbox as that first set of ’12’ just days later. The InvestigativeMEDIA Dropbox account with ALL 21 videos is located in the folder titled: FS 21 videos

( https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ipv8to6ih7gmzbq/AAC82U3UuheEtc8GPHFn91vea?dl=0 ) IM contributor WantsToKnowTheTruth posted on May 8, 2018 at 11:28 pm on IM: "THE ARIZONA FORESTRY COPIES OF THE SAME 21 VIDEOS" - But here is the “get out ahead of the story” website that Arizona Forestry fired up just days before the USFS actually delivered the videos to InvestigativeMEDIA, AZSF and Fire Management. The article was titled: Newly Acquired Yarnell Hill Video ( https://dffm.az.gov/New-Video-Clips ). It contains the full text of THEIR page along with clickable links for all the 21 videos listed below.

Cited above: "Newly Acquired Yarnell Hill Video - On November 7, 2014, Arizona State Forestry has not received any identifying or clarifying information from the Forest Service." File Links: 0630131532 0630131533 0630131534 M2U00261 M2U00262 M2U00263 M2U00264 M2U00265 Previously Released M2U00266R M2U00267 M2U00268 M2U00269 M2U00270 M2U00271 M2U00272 M2U00273R M2U00274 M2U0075 M2U0076R M2U0077R M2U0078

By the way, the IM contributor said NONE of these ‘copies’ of the videos are actually ‘byte for byte’ digital copies of the originals, as required by law when fulfilling a valid FOIA request. ALL of the videos have been ALTERED with the original metadata removed, and perhaps even parts of the videos themselves removed. A few of the released videos have actual REDACTIONS in them done by someone at the USFS who didn’t wanted certain things in the original videos to be made public. I spoke with one of the men in video and the part redacted was for the personal phone number. WantsToKnowTheTruth says on May 8, 2018 at 11:59 pm: "SIDENOTE: All of the video links on that Arizona Forestry web page are just ‘jumplinks’ to an AZSF ‘YouTube’ channel they created as a place to actually upload all the videos. The individual video links all still appear to work but if you access the actual AZSF YouTube channel at YouTube Channel: AZSF – 47 Subscribers ( https://www.youtube.com/channe/UCMRObR3M0M4Fw90ZeXF4NUA ) you get a blank page now saying “This channel doesn’t have any content.”

 

"Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" Isaiah 5:20 King James Version (KJV)

 

According to "Just The Facts - Investigative Report Writing," author Michael Biggs states: "Investigators are people who look into events or situations to find the facts about what happened." He also says "An investigation means different things to different people; however, for the purpose of investigative report writing, an investigation may be defined as a lawful search for things or people. In each case the goal is to find the truth." (emphasis added)


Evidently, the SAIT did not read the same book as me. Except maybe they did. Biggs writes "One of the most difficult parts of any writing project is getting started and this is certainly true when it comes to investigative report writing". Usually a report begins with action and eyewitnesses and they, in my humble opinion, failed to develop consistency in transparency and showing the fire as I saw it. 'The big picture must be considered' says author Biggs. Like the SAIT that made a preconceived "conclusion" and try to fill in the gaps that end up looking like Swiss Cheese to the eyewitness and others.

As I am continuing to organize the abundance of records, keep in mind, they had me and my hiking partner as "Yarnell Hikers" as a designated file, so how is it that the "new" (mis)managed/(mis)filed photo(s) I present does not show the Source where and who it came from, yet I got a filing label on mine? Why did I have to be the 'nuts and bolts' as the local to research it and be the one to present it to you, the world?

Because of God's guidance, I believe that someone as simple as the housewife hiker and YH Fire eyewitness was divinely led to know that the photo(s) located in my Public Records Request matched the one(s) from June 30, 2013. These photo(s) that years ago were sitting in the GMHS Wade Parker's file were recently revealed to me once I finally examined them within my records to ensure the T R U T H comes out.

I have now presented it to you and I also went the step further and had the actual owner identify they are the owner and those are their photos and videos and their own words captured for the the world to see not me just saying something plus their written permission to share to the world for "lessons learned".

Stand by ... More to come ...


And now to answer the question posited in the post tilted: "Are these numerous, up to now, (un)revealed photos, audio, and videos posted here, sufficient evidence to answer whether there was a Firing Operation on the afternoon of June 30, 2013, in the Sesame Street and Shrine area that influenced YH Fire structure loss and the GMHS fatalities?"


The answer is quite simple. An unequivocal and resounding YES. they absolutely reveal sufficient evidence to answer whether there was a Firing Operation on the afternoon of June 30, 2013, in the Sesame Street and Shrine area that influenced YH Fire structure loss and the GMHS fatalities! To believe otherwise is to ignore reality and the truth of what really occurred on the YH Fire on June 30, 2013, resulting in the GMHS fatalities.


By and large, this is one of my favorite posts because of the wealth of valuable information

 

Updates: Webmaster last updated July 23, 2018 at 14:05 PM (Figures 7, 8, 22, 30, 31, 33 and all links that incorrectly led to SAIR were fixed) (Figure 25 photo caption; 7-23-18 8:20am )


Various areas with minor spelling, punctuation, and grammar edits, all captions converted to one inch spacing, most of the body text increased in font size for easier reading, bolded all Figure texts with the text body, and further elaboration on the three June 30, 2013, 1629 and 1631 photos and the SAIT-SAIR idealized image (July 3, 2021 at 9:15 PM)

 

Post Number Ten


#HASHTAG #Yarnell Hill Fire #Wardemups

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Update October 7th 5pm- Fred J. Schoeffler has my full permission to use any and all content from "Are these numerous, up to now, (un)revealed photos, audio, and videos posted here, sufficient evidence to answer whether there was a Firing Operation on the afternoon of June 30, 2013, in the Sesame Street and Shrine area that influenced YH Fire structure loss and the GMHS fatalities?" on his new "Project 10 and 18 United" / "Project 10 and 18 International" blog he is creating.- Joy A. Collura


 
























Post Number Ten: https://www.yarnellhillfirerevelations.com/post/2018/07/22/are-these-numerous-up-to-now-unrevealed-photos-audio-and-videos-posted-here-sufficient-ev



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