( CNN ) -- Nineteen firefighters were killed Sunday battling a blaze in Arizona , the state forestry division said . The vast majority were from Prescott , said Wade Ward with the Prescott Fire Department . State forestry official Art Morrison said the firefighters were members of a `` hotshot '' crew , tasked with digging a fire line and creating an escape route . `` In normal circumstances , when you 're digging fire line , you make sure you have a good escape route , and you have a safety zone set up , '' Morrison said . `` Evidently , their safety zone was n't big enough , and the fire just overtook them . '' The crew was fighting the Yarnell Hill fire , which broke out Friday northwest of Phoenix . The fire has grown to 1,000 acres , damaged three homes and forced the evacuations of residents in the communities of Peeples Valley and Yarnell , Morrison said . Authorities believe lightning sparked the blaze . Not including the 19 deaths reported in Arizona , there have been 43 firefighter fatalities reported so far in 2013 , according to the U.S. Fire Administration . A total of 83 firefighters died last year while on duty . A Facebook page in memory of the Arizona firefighters was created Sunday night . People left their condolences and messages of support . `` Such a tragic loss . My heart aches for these brave souls , and for their families and friends , '' wrote one . `` I pray for the families and the town of Prescott . RIP , '' wrote another .
Notes : Official : The firefighters were part of a crew tasked with digging a fire line . ` ` Evidently , their safety zone was n't big enough , and the fire just overtook them , '' he says . A new page is created in the memory of the firefighters . They were at the Snow Hill fire , northwest of Birmingham , on Sunday .