The Yarnell Hill Fire tragedy killed 19 firefighters. Early Wednesday morning Juliann Ashcraft, the widow of one of the dead firefighters Andrew Ashcraft, held a news conference to talk about the need for the city of Prescott to provide health and benefits for the survivors. Prescott said that legally the city cannot provide those benefits because Ashcraft and 12 others were seasonal employees.
Arizona house speaker Andy Tobin represents Paulden in rural Arizona. He is working on legislation to provide those benefits retroactively. He is also been calling on President Obama’s administration to provide emergency funds to the town of Yarnell.