Eric Marsh (firefighter)
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Eric Marsh (firefighter) | |
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| Born | September 29, 1969 Wilkesboro, North Carolina |
| Died | June 30, 2013 (aged 43) Yarnell, Arizona |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Firefighter |
Eric Shane Marsh (born September 29, 1969, in Wilkesboro, North Carolina; † June 30, 2013, at Yarnell, Arizona)[1] was a highly respected American firefighter and commander of the Interagency Hotshot Crew 'Granite Mountain' from Prescott, Arizona. Tragically, he and 18 of his men lost their lives at the Yarnell Hill Fire in 2013 when they were overrun by a roller of flames on the first day of firefighting.
Life
Eric Marsh, who grew up in North Carolina and attended Ashe Central High School, studied biology at Appalachian State University.[2] In the summers, he worked as a firefighter and was assigned to the Globe Hotshots for several years in Arizona.
He moved to Prescott in 2003 and founded the Arizona Wildfire and Incident Management Academy[3] that same year and was also involved in establishing the Granite Mountain Hotshots there, which received their certification as a statewide Interagency Hotshot Crew in 2008. He was the commander and oldest member of the 20-man squad.
During the 2013 Yarnell Hill Fire, he served as the supervisor of Division Alpha, which oversaw multiple firefighting teams at Yarnell. The exact sequence of events leading up to the tragedy can only be approximated. Mr. Marsh and 18 of his team members traversed unburnt terrain in a U-shaped canyon and were caught off guard by the flames following a shift in wind direction. The individuals were unfortunately unable to escape the fire due to its rapid spread and sought refuge in their fire shelters. Regrettably, they did not survive due to the extreme heat.[4] The location where the firefighters lost their lives, along with the surrounding area, was established as Granite Mountain Hotshots Memorial State Park on November 30, 2016.
The film adaptation of the event was released in US cinemas in 2017 under the title ' No Way Out (original title Only the Brave). Josh Brolin portrays the character of Eric Marsh.
In addition, the Eric Marsh Foundation for Wildland Firefighters was established, which supports the surviving dependants of firefighters who have been killed and colleagues with PTSD.[5]
References
- ↑ Only the Brave (2017)
- ↑ One of 19 firefighters killed in Arizona wildfire grew up in Ashe County
- ↑ Wildfire academy passes on hotshot Eric Marsh’s legacy
- ↑ "Yarnell Hill". YouTube (in Deutsch). Retrieved 2019-12-11.
- ↑ Eric Marsh Foundation for Wildland Firefighters
External links
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