19 firefighters killed battling Arizona wildfire, more heading to area to stop fire

A group of 19 elite firefighters were killed while trying to stop an Arizona wildfire on Sunday. It is the largest wildfire tragedy in the state’s history.

The tragic news was confirmed last night by officials. “It’s a dark day,” Mike Reichling, Arizona State Forestry Division spokesman, told reporters, notes the Arizona Republic.

The Yarnell Hill fire had already destroyed half the town at the time the firefighters were deployed. Officials did confirm that 18 of the firefighters were from the Granite Mountain Hotshots team, but what team the 19th belonged to was still not known. Reichling told the Republic that these men are part of a team usually sent in first to try to delay the fire. “They were up there doing what they normally do,” he said.

State forestry spokesperson Art Morrison told the AP that the fire has destroyed 200 homes, reports CBS News. The fire began on Friday after a lightning strike during the extreme heat wave the Southwest is currently experiencing. CBS News' John Blackstone said Monday morning that there was zero containment.

“We grieve for the family. We grieve for the department. We grieve for the city," Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo told the media. “We're devastated. We just lost 19 of the finest people you'll ever meet.”

According to the Guardian, President Obama also issued a statement, calling the deceased firefighters “heroes.”

“They were heroes – highly-skilled professionals who, like so many across our country do every day, selflessly put themselves in harm's way to protect the lives and property of fellow citizens they would never meet,” Obama, who is still in Africa, said.

The AP reports that four more Hotshot crews are on their way and a total of 250 firefighters and support crewmembers are on the scene.

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