Widow of dead firefighter fighting for full benefits

PRESCOTT, Ariz., Aug. 6 (UPI) -- The families of 13 elite "hotshot" firefighters killed near Yarnell, Ariz., June 30 will not receive full benefits, the widow of one of the men said.

Juliann Ashcraft, whose husband Andrew, 29, died battling a 2,000-acre blaze, said she is fighting to obtain the lifetime benefits she was counting on to raise her four children, CBS News reported.

Ashcraft said she was told her husband and 12 others were considered to be seasonal employees of Prescott, Ariz., and therefore are not entitled to the lifetime salaries and health benefits worth millions given to the families of the six full-time Granite Mountain Hotshots who died in the Yarnell fire.

Instead, the 13 families will receive worker's compensation and a one-time federal payment of $328,000.

Ashcraft said her husband was a full-time employee and she may file a lawsuit against the city.

CBS News obtained paperwork that shows Ashcraft did earn a full-time salary.

The local firefighters union said Ashcraft was the only one of the 13 to work 40 hours a week year round.