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Prescott Denies Wildfire Damage Claims

The Yarnell Hill Fire destroyed more than 100 homes and killed 19 elite firefighters in June 2013.
(Photo by Stina Sieg-KJZZ)
The Yarnell Hill Fire destroyed more than 100 homes and killed 19 elite firefighters in June 2013.

The city of Prescott has denied damage claims by property owners and relatives of firefighters who died in the Yarnell Hill Fire. More than 100 claims were denied, totalling $662 million. Ninety-one property owners filed claims along with 17 relatives of the Granite Mountain Hotshots.

Nineteen members of the elite firefighting crew died when winds shifted during the Yarnell Hill Fire in June. More than 100 homes were destroyed in Yarnell, a small town northwest of Phoenix.

A Phoenix law firm representing Prescott said all of the claims are without merit. The firm said the city is not liable, because it did not act intentionally, recklessly or negligently. The claims are precursors to possible lawsuits.

Stina Sieg was a senior field correspondent at KJZZ from 2013 to 2018.