Nineteen firefighters, part of an elite group called the Hotshots, died while battling a wildfire about 85 miles northwest of Phoenix on Sunday, June 30. Here are the 19 victims: Andrew Ashcraft, 29.
{"Image ImageDescription": "Brian Todd just interviewed the mother of Andrew Ashcraft, Deborah Pfingston.\r\rHere are some quotes, and a couple of photos, if they're any help. (One photo is of him earlier this year; the other is a picture he took while fighting the fire on Saturday.)\r\r------------------------\r\r\"He loved being a hot shot. He wanted to do hot shot work until he physically no longer could do it. He trained feverishly.\r\rIt's an honor. Last night when I was praying, I would text him be strong be wise be safe, I said Okay God, I don't understand it, but thank you that he was not alone, thank you that he was with the others.\r\rWould have been out there no matter what. They felt what they were doing was good. Andew loved what he did. He loved it. And they died together. And whoever made the decision that all their bodies would go to Phoenix together, I want to hug them, because separating them would have been a travesty.\r\rThere were times he said it got pretty hairy. One time he said the fire circled them and they ran.\r\rWe lost 19 stellar men, husbands, fathers.\r\rThey loved each other. It was almost a band of brothers. These guys ate together, they slept on the ground together when they were fighting fires, these were his comrades.\rWhen they were not fighting fires, their families had birthdays together.\r\rHe wanted to fight fires in 6th, 7th grade.\rThey were the elite.\rThese men had zero body fat.\rYou have to go through an etxreme physical test, and have to pass it every year.\rYour physical stamina is everyone else's life.\rThey do fullpack runs, they carry chainsaws, they are athletes. You could put a Hot Shot against anybody.\rThey're deployed the whole summer, missing their families\r\rI want people to know what a hero he was, what a hero all of them were.  these were incredible men. They were tough, they were fighters, they protected us.\r\rMy son Andrew was a loving father and husband. He was strong, he was loving, and he was a hugger.", "Image Artist": "Family Photos"}