Osage Nation sends fire fighter to Arizona following tragedy

Tuesday, July 2, 2013  

The Osage Nation of Oklahoma is sending one of its firefighters to Arizona after tragedy struck a crew there.

Ross Walker, 26, of the Osage Nation Wildland Fire Management, was actually in Arizona several days ago. He met the 19 fire fighters who lost their lives in the Yarnell Hill wildfire on Sunday.

"I worked side by side with them, hand in hand working on the same fire line there," Walker told KJRH-TV. A memorial service was held on Monday for the Granite Mountain Hotshots.

“We pray that the site of the fallen firefighters will be a sacred place, and that the rain will come today, tomorrow — to restore the land, and the hearts and minds of all you,” Navajo Nation Council Speaker Johnny Naize said at the service. His son is fighting the same fire.

Walker and another tribal firefighter from Oklahoma will be providing relief for the crews that have been battling fires in Arizona.

Get the Story:
Tribal firefighters headed to Arizona to provide relief following Yarnell Hill wildfire outbreak (KJRH-TV 7/1)
Green Country Firefighters Crossed Paths With 19 Killed In Arizona (News on 9 7/1)
Osage County firefighters helped fight fire in Arizona (Fox23 News 7/1)