Arizona Wildfires 2013 Updates and Maps: 19 Firefighters Killed in Blazing Yarnell Fire

In a sad turn of events, 19 firefighters were killed in an effort to put out the blazing fires in Arizona.

According to the Associate Press, hot gusty winds blew the fire out of control in a forest northwest of Phoenix, Sunday. An elite crew of firefighters was deployed in an attempt to contain the fire. Working on their fire mission, the fighters put up fire shelters - tent-like structures to keep them from flames and heat - near Yarnell, when the fires caught up with them.

According to the report, the fire started on Friday but quickly escalated to 2,000 acres by Sunday. The spread was amidst "triple-digit temperatures, low humidity and windy conditions."

Authorities initially asked for over 50 homes to evacuate near the fires, but by Sunday afternoon, the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office expanded the evacuation area and included more homes.

Later in the day, Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo announced that 19 firemen were killed in the containment efforts.

"The entire hot shot crew had been killed by the fire," Fraijo noted. He added that the men were deploying emergency shelters when "something drastic happened."

According to AP, the elite crew had been working on other wildfires over the years, including the New Mexico and Arizona Fires just a few weeks past.

In 1994, the Storm King Fire in Glenwood Springs, Colorado killed 14 firefighters who were engulfed by a sudden explosion.

With 19 dead, the Yarnell, Arizona blaze is now being considered to be the deadliest U.S. wildfire involving firefighters in three decades.

As for the residents in the area, no injuries or fatalities have been reported, but a few homes in the Glenisle community have already burned on Sunday.