Flags are at half-staff today in Arizona. Here’s who is being honored

Flags were lowered in Arizona on Tuesday, June 30, in honor of the 19 Granite Mountain Hotshots who died fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire in 2013.

Gov. Katie Hobbs ordered flags be flown at half-staff from sunrise through sunset on Tuesday to honor them on the 13th anniversary of their death.

Sparked by a lighting strike, the Yarnell fire became nationally known as an emblem of tragedy. The crew, which was part of a unique municipal-level firefighting effort, was encircled by flames reaching 2,000 degrees with no way out. All but one of them died.

The blaze was the deadliest for U.S. firefighters since 1933 and the greatest loss of U.S. firefighter life since the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

“Hotshot crews take on dangerous and difficult firefighting to keep Arizona communities safe,” Hobbs wrote in her a statement. “We recognize and honor the sacrifice and bravery of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. This will always be a day we mark with mourning, reflection, and deep admiration for the members of this crew, their families, and the wildland firefighting community.”

Here’s when flags are traditionally lowered in the United States and the difference between half-mast and half-staff.

What is the difference between half-mast and half-staff?

The terms “half-mast” and “half-staff” both refer to lowering a flag to honor or mourn someone, but they are used in different settings.

“Half-mast” traditionally refers to flags flown on ships or at naval stations, while “half-staff” is used for flags flown on land. In the United States, “half-staff” is the term most commonly used for government buildings and public flag displays.

When are flags flown at half-staff in the US?

In the United States, flags are lowered to half-staff on certain national observances and following the deaths of notable public officials.

According to the Arizona state website, the U.S. flag is flown at half-staff on these days:

• Memorial Day, when the flag should be displayed at half-staff until noon only, then raised to the top of the staff.
• Peace Officers Memorial Day, unless that day is also Armed Forces Day.
• Patriot Day.
• National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.
• National Firefighters Memorial Day.

The president of the United States may also order flags to be flown at half-staff after the death of a notable public figure. In those cases, the length of time depends on the person’s role:

• 30 days from the death of the president or a former president.
• 10 days from the day of death of the vice president, the chief justice or a retired chief justice of the United States, or the speaker of the House of Representatives.
• From the day of death until the interment of an associate justice of the Supreme Court, a secretary of an executive or military department, a former vice president or the governor of a state.
• The day of death and the following day for a member of Congress.

The governor may also order flags lowered to half-staff after the death of notable current or former government officials or members of the armed forces who die while on active duty.

In Arizona, the governor can also require that the state flag be lowered at all state, institutional and educational buildings. The law also allows the state flag to be lowered on the death of an incumbent elected state officer for seven days beginning on the day following the death of the officer.

Arizona Republic reporter Laura Gersony contributed to this article.