Posted by Sherman in Idaho [72.47.153.158] on Thursday, August 20, 2015 at 01:33:57 :
In Reply to: Re: Multiple Fire Fighter burn over! posted by robert [97.125.81.76] on Thursday, August 20, 2015 at 00:10:09 :
What I learned from reading the accounts of the 1910 fire was "get in the water". Of course there usually isn't water where there's a fire, but around here in the mountains there's probably water within half a mile of anywhere. In 1910, all the men who managed to get into any sort of water, even a shallow creek, survived, except one who had a burning tree fall on him. On the other hand, of the ones who tried to run away or hide in mine tunnels, cabins, or a root cellar, most died or were seriously injured by smoke inhalation. One bunch who took refuge on a "burned-over" meadow was surprised when the main fire got to them and the meadow burned a second time.
Nowadays it's just called the "1910 fire" or the "big burn", but back then it was often called the "hurricane fire". The main firestorm got whipped up when a dry cold front came through (like is predicted here for tomorrow) blew up the fires starting from the lower Clearwater. It only took 3 days to burn from the Clearwater to well into Montana -- something like 10 million acres. The winds created by the fire were so strong that they uprooted whole forests before burning them.