Tuesday marks 13 years since Yarnell Hill Fire

(KYMA) - Tuesday, June 30, 2026 marks 13 years since 19 members of the Granite Mountain Hotshots were killed while battling the Yarnell Hill Fire.

Dry lightning struck a patch of vegetation, igniting a fire west of Yarnell, Arizona, around 90 miles northwest of Phoenix.

Two days later, the Hotshots were battling the fire when the winds suddenly shifted and the flames rapidly raced toward them. 

The gusty hot winds caused the fire to intensify and cut off the firefighters' escape route, killing the firefighters.

Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-Ariz.) ordered flags at state buildings to be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset Tuesday in honor of the firefighters who lost their lives that day.