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Arizona Supreme Court decides not to review Yarnell Hill fire case

The lightning-started wildfire killed 19 firefighters and destroyed approximately 125 homes in Yarnell and nearby communities.
<p><span style="color: rgb(26, 26, 26); font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">The Yarnell Hill fire burns in this view from I-17 June 29, 2013 near the town of Yarnell, Arizona. (Photo: Arizona State Forestry Division via Getty Images)</span></p>

PHOENIX (AP) - The Arizona Supreme Court has declined to review a case involving the deadly Yarnell Hill wildfire that devastated a rural Arizona community in 2013 and killed 19 elite firefighters.

The decision leaves intact the Arizona Court of Appeals' ruling in March that the state doesn't have a legal duty to protect property from naturally caused wildfires.

The appeals court's ruling upheld a trial judge's dismissal of two suits filed against the state and its forestry division by homeowners whose property was destroyed.

The lightning-started wildfire destroyed approximately 125 homes in Yarnell and nearby communities about 35 miles (56 kilometers) south of Prescott.

Nineteen members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots firefighting team died in the wildfire, but the lawsuits involved in the March 30 ruling only dealt with private property.

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