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Mayor who led Prescott after firefighters' deaths dies at 86

Posted at 7:24 AM, Jan 20, 2021
and last updated 2021-01-20 09:24:07-05

PRESCOTT, Ariz. (AP) — Marlin Kuykendall, the former mayor of Prescott whose tenure included the tumultuous months following the deaths of 19 firefighters in a 2013 wildfire, has died.

Prescott city officials confirmed that Kuykendall died Sunday at his home. He was 86. His son told the Daily Courier that Kuykendall had been dealing with cancer for the past three years. Kuykendall became mayor in 2009 and was re-elected twice more.

It was his campaign for a third term in 2013 that was his toughest. Kuykendall and the city faced harsh criticism every day over their refusal to extend full benefits to the families of all the firefighters killed in the Yarnell Hill Fire.