Culture

Deadly Arizona Wildfire Remains Out of Control

Killed 19 firefighters and has burned 13 square miles

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An Arizona wildfire that killed nineteen members of an elite hotshots firefighting crew on Sunday remains out-of-control, authorities say, as the blaze has now burned an area of 13 square miles.

The lightning-sparked fire, which has spread to more than 8,000 acres amid triple-digit temperatures over the weekend, has destroyed at least 50 structures and threatened 500 people in Yarnell, a town of about 700 residents 85 miles northwest of Phoenix, the Yavapai County Emergency Management said Monday. Most people had evacuated from the town, and no injuries or other deaths were reported.

More than 400 firefighters—including 18 elite hotshot fire crews—were working on the Yarnell fire as of Monday, which remains zero percent contained.