Thirtymile Fire: A Chronicle of Bravery and Betrayal - Softcover

"* "Pitilessly compelling, the sort of saga devoured in one horrified sitting." - National Geographic Adventure * "An evenhanded, lucid re-creation of catastrophe and its aftermath. The author gives a human face to national headlines, capturing the dignity and sense of mission of the lost fire fighters." - Publishers Weekly."

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 fire fighting 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.