19 Firefighters were killed when they were overtaken by a fast-moving wildfire in the US state of Arizona.  It’s America’s worst loss of life of firefighters in a wildfire since 1933.

On Sunday morning, officials monitoring the 2,000-acre wildfire called for the evacuations of 50 homes in several communities in Yavapai County.  By midday, the County Sheriff's Office expanded the evacuations to include more residents in the town of Yarnell, 85 northwest of Phoenix.

The fire moved so fast, the 19 firefighters were forced to deploy their fire shelters, which tent-like structures meant to shield firefighters from flames and heat.