Bodies of 19 fallen firefighters arrive in Phoenix

A caravan of white vans carrying the bodies of 19 firefighters killed in the Yarnell wildfire has arrived in Phoenix.

The vans reached the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office shortly after noon Monday.

They passed under the arched ladders of two fire trucks with a large American flag billowing from another vehicle on a turnoff road.

The medical examiner’s office in Phoenix will conduct autopsies on all 19 fallen firefighters.

Maricopa County spokeswoman Cari Gerchick says Yavapai County authorities asked for help because the rural county didn’t have the resources to handle so many casualties.

Yarnell is about 80 miles northwest of Phoenix.

Eighteen of the 19 firefighters killed belonged to the Granite Mountain Hotshots crew headquartered in Prescott.

None of their names have been officially released yet.