President Obama has called Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer to receive an update on the wildfires in a forest northwest of Phoenix and express his condolences to the families of the 19 firefighters who died in the blaze and to all whose lives have been impacted by the fires.

President Barack Obama (Getty Images)
President Barack Obama (Getty Images)
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Obama, who is on a trip to Africa, also expressed his gratitude to the hundreds of first responders who continue to work around the clock to protect homes and businesses.

During the Monday call, the president reinforced his commitment to providing necessary federal support to Arizona and to local first responders fighting the fire.  The administration says it will continue to keep in constant contact with local officials and coordinate with federal agencies.

 

(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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