At least 19 US firefighters die battling Arizona wildfire

At least 19 firefighters have been killed while battling a wildfire in the US state of Arizona.

The fast-moving fire near the small town of Yarnell, about 130 kilometers northwest of Phoenix, has burned as many as 800 hectares since Friday and destroyed several buildings.

The United States Wildland Firefighters Association confirmed the deaths on its Facebook page.  A state forestry official, Art Morrison, told CNN the firefighters were an elite “hot shot” crew.  He said it appeared the fire overtook them and by the time other firefighters reached them they had been killed. 

More than 200 firefighters are battling the fire.

Authorities had ordered the evacuation of Yarnell and another nearby town with reverse 911 emergency phone calls and door-to-door alerts by authorities.

The blaze has forced the evacuation of local residents.

Arizona, and the neighboring western states of California and Nevada are in the middle of an extreme heat wave.  Temperatures reached record highs Saturday, and excessive heat warnings are in effect across the region.

In recent days. dozens of people across western US states have been treated for exhaustion and dehydration, as the heat wave continues.

Temperatures in some areas were expected to reach 54C (130F), close to the world’s all-time high recorded 100 years ago in California’s Death Valley.

Source: The Times Of Earth / Agencies