The fast-moving wildfire that killed 19 firefighters Sunday in the communities of Yarnell and Glen Isla, about 85 miles northwest of Phoenix, has grown to quadruple in size, news reports said on Monday.
Eratic winds and dry grasses fed the blaze as it tore through . An estimated 200 homes and many businesses had been destroyed as the lightning-sparked fire spread to nearly 8,400 acres from 2,000 acres overnight.
"This is a nightmare scenario for firefighting: thunderstorms producing little rainfall, unpredictable, shifting winds, and, of course, lightning strikes," says Weather Channel meteorologist Jon Erdman.
The 19 were part of the elite Granite Mountain Hotshots of Prescott in the worst wildland firefighter tragedy in the U.S. since 25 died in 1933's Griffith Park Fire in Los Angeles. It is also the worst incident for firefighters since 9/11, when 343 members of the New York Fire Department died.
Firefighters were working to secure the eastern flank of the fire to protect homes in Yarnell and Peeples Valley, Reuters reporters as air tankers and helicopters were also expected to drop fire retardant and water on hotspots and the fire's perimeter.
Flags were at half staff in downtown Prescott and many business had put up signs thanking firefighters and the Granite Mountain Hotshots.
"It's a dark day," said Mike Reichling, Arizona State Forestry Division spokesman.
