A wildfire that began sweeping around the small mountain town ofYarnell, Ariz., on Friday June 28 has already become the deadliestdisaster of its kind since 1933, claiming the lives of 19 of the 20elite Granite Mountain Hotshots crew, firefighters known for theirphysical strength and endurance.

More than 400 firefighters have since been dispatched to helpbattle the blaze that has burned 8,000 acres of land and destroyed200 structures in the retiree community of about 700 residents.

(AP Photo/The Arizona Republic, DavidKadlubowski)

The fire, ignited by a lightning strike, has been drivenby a major heat wave spreading record-setting temperatures throughthe West, the Great Basin and the Northern Rockies. Las Vegas,California's Central Valley, Oregon, Washington and Utah are amongthe areas feeling the triple-digit burn.

According to Climate Central, there were 46 monthly hightemperature records and 13 all-time high temperature records set ortied in the U.S. between June 24 and June 29, 2013. A monthlytemperature record was set at 129°F in Death Valley, Calif., onSunday, nearly reaching the Valley's world record temperature of134°F in 1913.

Here, a wildfire destroys homes in the Glenn Ilah area nearYarnell, Ariz., June 30, 2013.

(AP Photo/ The Arizona Republic/ DavidKadlubowski)

2012 was the third-highest destructivewildfire year in the U.S., with about 9 million acres- an arealarger than the state of Maryland- scorched from conditions owingto drought and record heat.

There were seven times more 10,000-acre fires each year of thisdecade than there were in the average year during the 1970's, saysClimate Central research. Wildfires have burned twice as much landannually as they did 40 years ago, and the average yearly burn areaon public land in the West has exceeded 2 million acres, or morethan the entirety of Yellowstone National Park.

The above undated group photo, provided by the City of Prescott,shows members of the Granite Mountain team who lost their lives onSunday, June 30.

(AP Photo/City of Prescott)

The Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) reports that the 38catastrophic U.S. wildfires of 2012 caused $595 million in insuredlosses.

The country's most expensive wildland fire occurred in Oakland,CA. in 1991, causing about $2,576 in insured losses (in 2011dollars). The most recent record-setting blaze occurred in BastropCounty, TX. In 2011, causing $530 million in today's insured lossdollars.

Texas, California, Idaho and Oregon are among some of thehighest-ranked states in terms of number of wildfires and acreageof fire damage. According to Climate Central, Arizona is thefastest-warming state in the contiguous U.S., with average surfacetemperatures increasing by 0.72°F per decade since 1970.

This April 12, 2012 photo captures the Granite Mountain Hotshotstrain in setting up emergency fire shelters outside of Prescott,Ariz. The firefighters deployed these shelters, meant to shieldthem from flames and heat, when caught in the deadly blaze thisweekend.

(AP Photo/Cronkite News, Connor Radnovich)

University of Arizona analysis of the National ClimateAssessment Report found a link between climate change and wildfirein Arizona, driven by regional temperature increases, droughtcondition, and earlier snow melt.

Other contributors to wildfire damage are population growth anddevelopment that has occurred near historically-active wildlandfire areas.

This photo shows Tanker 910 making a retardant drop Yarnell HillFire to help protect the Double Bar A Ranch near Peeples Valley,Arizona, Sunday, June 30, 2013.

(AP Photo/The Arizona Republic, Tom Story)