(Melanie Woodrow Reporting)
A disasterous day for fire crews in Arizona, as 19 firfighters lost their lives in the line of duty.
The Yarnell Fire has spread to about 8,000 acres, while destroying close to 200 homes.
The wildfire is burning out of control and caught up with the very men sent in to tame it.
The men were members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, an elite unit designed to fight wildfires.
Prescott, AZ Fire Chief Dan Fraijo said, "These are the guys that go out there with 40-50 pounds of equipment and walk five miles, they'll sleep out there as they try to establish fire lines and put protection between homes, natural resources, and still try to remain safe. These are quality people."
The Yarnell Hill fire started Friday from a lightning strike, but wind gusts as high as 45 miles-per-hour whipped up the flames Sunday.
Mike Reichling with the Incident Management Team said, "This fire was very radical in it's behavior... They were just caught up in a very bad situation."
The towns of Yarnel and Peeples Valley were evacuated as fire quickly spread.
Initial estimates are that as many as 200 homes in Yarnell could be destroyed.
An additional 200 to 250 firefighters are joining the fight on Monday.