19 firefighters killed in Arizona blaze; 'Our entire crew was lost'

19 firefighters killed in Arizona blaze; 'Our entire crew was lost'
CNN
By Holly Yan
Mon July 1, 2013

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
The 6,000-acre fire is the deadliest blaze for firefighters since the 9/11 attacks
It has destroyed more than 100 structures northwest of Phoenix and is still burning
19 members of a "hotshot" team from Prescott died in the wildfire
The team's job was to create a firebreak and get as close to the fire as safely possible
Are you near the Arizona wildfire? Please send your photos, videos and updates to iReport. But make safety your top priority.
Read more about this story from CNN affiliates KPHO, KTVK, KPNX and KNXV.

(CNN) -- They were part of an elite squad who confronted wildfires up close, setting up barriers to stop their destructive spread.

But the inferno blazing across central Arizona proved too much.

The 19 firefighters were killed Sunday while fighting the Yarnell Hill fire, northwest of Phoenix. It is the deadliest blaze for firefighters since the 9/11 attacks.

"Our entire crew was lost," Prescott Fire Chief Dan Fraijo told reporters Sunday night. "We just lost 19 of some of the finest people you'll ever meet. Right now, we're in crisis."

The tragedy decimated the Prescott Fire Department by about 20%. Fraijo said one member of the team was not with the other crew members and survived.
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