Statements by FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate and US Fire Administrator Ernest Mitchell on the Wildfire in Arizona

Statement by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Craig Fugate:
 
“Yesterday the emergency management community lost 19 of our family. When wildfires threaten lives and communities, firefighters bravely face some of the most unpredictable and dangerous conditions that mother nature has to offer. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who lost their lives fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire in Arizona. FEMA stands behind the first responders who continue to fight the blazes across the West.”
 
Statement by U.S. Fire Administrator Ernest Mitchell:
 
“It is with great sorrow that I received news of the loss of 19 firefighters responding to the Yarnell Hill Fire in Yavapai County, Arizona. This is a tragic loss for the citizens of Arizona and the nation as a whole.  These brave firefighters were responding to a wildfire with the potential to destroy homes and structures in a wildfire season among the worst in many years.
 
“The U.S. Fire Administration remains in close coordination with the fire-fighting communities in Arizona, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Department of Interior and the National Interagency Fire Center. FEMA recently awarded a fire management assistance grant for the Yarnell Hill Fire, making financial support available for ongoing efforts to fight and mitigate the volatile wildfire conditions.”

FEMA’s mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.