Today, on the day that northern Arizona came together to mourn the 19 firefighters who died combatting the Yarnell Hill Fire, Governor Jan Brewer sent a letter to President Obama requesting that he declare the fire a major disaster, which would provide benefits to the citizens of Yarnell and Peeples Valley.

From Phoenix's KTAR:

"The Yarnell Hill Fire has taken so much from the people of Yavapai County and the State of Arizona," said Brewer in a press release. "We can never bring back the lives lost to this devastating fire, but a federal Major Disaster Declaration is one way we can help the citizens of Yarnell and Peeples Valley begin to pick up the pieces and put their communities back together."

The request for the declaration of emergency cites numerous reasons for aid, including a lack of temporary housing, the risk of food-borne illness because of power outages and a lack of water, among other things.

Brewer also requested a declaration of disaster from the U.S. Small Business Administration, which would allow those whose homes were impacted by the fire to apply for a loan up to $200,000 to repair or replace their home.

You can see Gov. Brewer's press release here.