"Pitilessly compelling, the sort of saga devoured in one horrified
sitting."--National Geographic Adventure
The Thirtymile Fire in the North Cascade Range near the Canadian border
of Washington began as a simple mop-up operation; in a few hours, a
series of catastrophic errors led to the entrapment and deaths of four
members of the fire crew--two teenage girls and two young men. Each had
brought order and meaning to their lives by joining the firefighting
world. Then the very flames they pursued turned on them, extinguishing
their lives.
Weaving together the astonishing stories told by the fire's witnesses
and, later, the victims' family members and the response to the official
reports, John N. Maclean creates a riveting account of the deadly
Thirtymile Fire and the controversy and recriminations that raged in its
aftermath.