Hello, hello! Today we would like to talk about an event that is viewed as a pivotal
moment in fire management (as well as Forest Service) history – the “Big
Blow Up” (August 20-21, 1910). While this wasn’t in Pennsylvania, it was still
an event that really shaped the wildland fire program in general.
Friend or foe?
Instrument of destruction or renewal?
Natural cycle or unwelcome force?
Over our
history, the perception of wildfire here in America has swung from one extreme
to another. Before the settlers came, the Indigenous people used fire,
intentionally, to their benefit. Fire helped them manage wildlife habitats and with
their agriculture among many of the typical uses. These fires, along with the
naturally occurring ones, helped further control the fuel loading in the forest
and helped fire-adapted ecosystems thrive. Of course, as the country became
more settled, the folks living in those settlements began to see fire as a
threat to homes, livelihoods, and lives – thus fire needed to be tamed (much
like the West).
A drought-filled year already, 1910 was set to be a devastating year. In August hundreds
of small fires were burning across the Northern Rockies of Idaho and Montana
and the Forest Service had deployed 4000 troops to supplement the thousands of civilian
firefighters already fighting these fires. August 20 brought hurricane-force
winds into the virgin forest area, as they blasted through embers, and low flames were impelled
into an inferno no one was prepared for. As Forester Edward Stahl described the
flames that were, “fanned by a tornado wind so violent that the flames
flattened out ahead, swooping to earth in great darting curves, truly a
veritable red demon from hell.”
In just a few
hours the fires became firestorms and trees became “exploding candles.” More trees were sucked up from the ground – roots and all – and were basically
flying torches. Fireballs were reported to leap canyons half a mile wide, while
entire mountainsides ignited in what seemed to be an instant.
During the two
days that the great blow-up roared, more than 3 million acres burned, and enough
timber was killed to fill a freight train 2,400 miles long (less than 10
percent of that was salvaged) – yes, in just two DAYS, not over a course of two
WEEKS or two MONTHS. By noon on the twenty-first, daylight was dark as far north as
Saskatoon, Canada, as far south as Denver, and as far east as Watertown, New
York. Smoke reached New England, soot floated to Greenland, small communities
were demolished, and more than 85 lives were lost. This event left lasting
opinions about how forests and wildfires should be managed.
According to the National Forest Foundation “Fire
suppression policy reached its extreme in 1935 with the 10 a.m. rule—mandating
that any fire spotted in a given day must be controlled by 10 o’clock the
following morning.” This policy was, effective, however, the extreme suppression
of fires led to a large build-up of dried-out fuels and more dense but less
diverse forests. All of this makes for a perfect place for a catastrophic blaze
to take place. “Add in a changing climate—with longer, hotter, drier
summers—and it’s clear that the “fight at all costs” approach to wildfire
couldn’t be sustained” (National Forest Foundation).
“Recent decades have seen some of the worst fire seasons on
record and astronomical firefighting budgets, but also a more tempered attitude
about dealing with fire. In the early 1990s, Forest Service Chief Jack Ward
Thomas backed away from the blanket fire suppression strategy, declaring that
some fires should be fought, but others allowed to burn. “Fire is neither good
nor bad,” Thomas said. “It just is” (National Forest Foundation).
This is why we have things like prescribed burning (to help
safely reduce the number of fuels, and control invasive species while encouraging
new native growth), community engagement to help homes be more fire-wise (both
within the home and outside the home), and why we keep learning more through
fire science.
“Humans are a uniquely fire creature on a uniquely fire
planet, so fire has a lot to say about the character of each,” Stephen Pyne
said in a 1994 interview. “Fire history shows people—humanity at large—facing
questions and making choices about who they are and how they should behave."
~~~~
There are more stories and more detailed information about the Big Blow Up on the National Forest Foundation’s
website (click here
if you want to read more), but I want to pull this excerpt from Edward C.
Pulaski and include it here:
Excerpts courtesy of U.S. Forest Service Northern Region
Archives
Edward C. Pulaski
Forest ranger, Coeur d’Alene National Forest
Note: Edward Pulaski earned legend status during the
blowup of 1910 when he led his men to safety and held them there in an
abandoned mine shaft while the fire passed. Today, many will recognize his name
in association with the axe-like “Pulaski” tool he invented for digging and
chopping—often used on fire lines.
The whole world seemed to us men back in those mountains to
be aflame. Many thought that it really was the end of the world. Under such
conditions, it would have been worse than foolhardy to attempt to fight the
fires. It was a case of saving our lives. I got on my horse and went where I
could, gathering men. Most of them were unfamiliar with the country, and I knew
that if they ever got out they would have to be led out … I finally collected
forty-five men … Had it not been for my familiarity with the mountain trails,
we would never have come out alive, for we were completely surrounded by
raging, whipping fire.
My only hope was to reach an old mine tunnel which I knew to
be not far from us.
 |
| Photo of the mouth of the tunnel, taken in 1910. |
We raced for it. On the way, one man was killed by a falling
tree. We reached the mine just in time, for we were hardly in when the fire
swept over our trail.
The men were in a panic of fear, some crying, some praying.
Many of them soon became unconscious from the terrible heat, smoke, and fire
gas. The wet blankets actually caught fire and I had to replace them with
others soaked in water. But I, too, finally sank down unconscious. I do not
know how long I was in this condition, but it must have been for hours. I
remember hearing a man say, “Come outside, boys, the boss is dead.” I replied,
“Like hell he is.”
We counted our number. Five were missing … As the air
outside became clearer, we gained strength and finally were able to stagger to
our feet and start toward Wallace. When walking failed us, we crawled on hands
and knees.
How we got down I hardly know. We were in terrible condition, all of us hurt or burned. I was blind and my hands were burned from trying to keep the fire out of the mine. Our shoes were burned off our feet and our clothing was in parched rags … My experience left me with poor eyes, weak lungs, and throat; but, thank God, I am not now blind."
~~~~
There are plenty of photos that accompany this event, here is a link to a gallery that has quite a few. Click here for that.
There is also a trail in the Idaho Panhandle National Forest
near Wallace, Idaho that takes you along Pulaski’s route to save his men, where
you can get a view of the tunnel where they hunkered down. Click here
for an AllTrails synopsis and map of the trail.
