The deadly Yarnell Hill Fire that sparked Friday in the community of Yarnell, Ariz. has grown overnight to eight times the size it was on Sunday and continues to blaze out of control, wreaking destruction at every turn.
Located approximately 1.5 miles west of central Yarnell, according to InciWeb the fire was reportedly sparked by a lightning strike and is being fueled by chaparral and dried grass. As of Monday the fire had blazed through 8,374 acres and firefighters have zero percent containment on it.
As the blaze continues to escalate, a total of 400 fire personnel are currently fighting the flames. ABC 10 News reports that as of Monday morning, the resources being used in the firefighting effort include 18 fire engines, 18 fire crews, 8 support water tenders, 2 crash/rescue vehicles, 2 structure protection vehicles and 4 dozers. Additionally, on order are more 20-person hotshot crews, Type 2 hand crews and other firefighting personnel and equipment.
According to InciWeb, as of Monday there are 40 active wildfires burning in the United States, the majority of which are in the southwest portion of the country. The Washington Post reports that recent weather, along with annual weather patterns may be the driving force behind most of these fires.
According to the report, "lightning sparked the fire and strong winds, dry air, record heat and severe drought all share in the blame for its fury."
It's reported that lightning storms are common in the southwest in the summer months, thanks to the annual monsoon pattern. CLIMAS, the Climate Assessment for the Southwest offers a detailed explanation of the inner workings of how the southwest monsoon works.
"The monsoon is driven by the sun heating up the land and the Pacific Ocean at different rates, with land surfaces warming more quickly than the ocean. The warm land creates low-pressure zones as hot air rises. Once this pattern establishes across the region, the winds shift to fill in the vacuum."
Long story short, the monsoon works to form low pressure over the land surface, which in turn causes the air to rise and thunderstorms to develop. These thunderstorms bring with them lightning and strong winds that can lead to increased, dangerous fire weather conditions.
"In the southwest, lightning has ignited more than 2,300 fires annually since 2001, burning approximately 277,000 acres per year," CLIMAS says.
In some instances these lightning-sparked fires can be deadly, as was the case Sunday night when 19 firefighters were killed after being overtaken by flames while battling the Yarnell Hill Fire. This tragedy has reached the hearts and souls of people all across the country, who are morning such a loss. President Obama even spoke out in memory of the fallen firefighters. He issued the following statement:
"Yesterday, nineteen firefighters were killed in the line of duty while fighting a wildfire outside Yarnell, Arizona. They were heroes -- highly-skilled professionals who, like so many across our country do every day, selflessly put themselves in harm's way to protect the lives and property of fellow citizens they would never meet. In recent days, hundreds of firefighters have battled extremely dangerous blazes across Arizona and the Southwest. The federal government is already assisting, and we will remain in close contact with state and local officials to provide the support they need. But today, Michelle and I join all Americans in sending our thoughts and prayers to the families of these brave firefighters and all whose lives have been upended by this terrible tragedy."
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