1 July 2013 - Tragedy as NINETEEN firefighters are killed tackling raging Arizona wildfires that have destroyed half the homes in a single town 19 elite firefighters confirmed dead near Arizona town of Yarnell
200 homes burned in the fast-moving blaze caused by lightning strike
Barack Obama declared the firefighters 'heroes'
Approximately 600 people are under mandatory evacuation from the area
More firefighters are on their way to help combat the wildfire
By Ashley Collman



At least nineteen firefighters were killed when an Arizona blaze became out of control on Sunday killing the elite crew in the deadliest wildfire involving firefighters in the U.S. for at least 30 years.
The 'hotshot' firefighters were forced to deploy their emergency fire shelters - tent-like structures meant to shield firefighters from flames and heat - when they were caught near the central Arizona town of Yarnell, state forestry spokesman Art Morrison said.



The fire also destroyed an estimated 200 homes, Morrison said. Dry grass near the communities of Yarnell and Glen Isla fed the fast-moving blaze, which was whipped up by wind and raced through the homes, he said.