Thousands of people including Vice President Joe Biden packed an arena in Prescott Valley, Ariz. on Tuesday to honor the 19 firefighters killed last week while battling an Arizona wildfire.
Crowds filled a parking lot outside of the arena as firetrucks from around the country flanked the streets during the tear-jerking memorial.
"Today, I think of them not as having fallen, but rather as having risen, risen far above any of us to a place of peace and comfort," said Marlin Kuykendall, mayor of Prescott, where the firefighters were based, according to the LA Times.
During the ceremony, which was named "Our Fallen Brothers: A Celebration of Life," the families of those killed were presented with American and Arizona flags, as well as a bronzed Pulaski, the special axe-like tool used by wildland firefighters.
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said that while she couldn't truly understand the grief of the families, she'll be praying for them always, reports ABC.
The bodies of the 19 elite Granite Mountain Hotshots have not been left alone since they were pulled from a charred mountainside last week. The team was overrun by smoke and fire while battling the Yarnell Hill fire, reportedly the worst fire in the history of Arizona, and the worst wildland fire in the U.S. since a 1933 fire killed 25 in Griffith Park in Los Angeles.
Brendan McDonough, the one member who survived, offered what's called "The Hot Shot's Prayer," which ends with the line: "For if this day on the line ... I should answer death's call ... Lord, bless my hot shot Crew ... My family, one and all."
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