‘Many Grown Men In The Crew Were Absolutely Helpless’

For firefighters caught in the path of the Big Blowup, Aug. 20, 1910, was a night of terror.

“The spectacle of this fire was awe-inspiring beyond belief. …Many grown men in the crew were absolutely helpless and there were several who could only weep or moan,” wrote Ranger Roy A. Phillips, who was caught with a crew of men outside Saltese, Mont.

The men set a backfire to clear a space around them. It saved their lives.

Other stories are recounted in a Forest Service publication, “When the Mountains Roared: Stories of the 1910 Fire.”

Deputy Supervisor Ed Thenon was camped with a crew of firefighters on Moose Creek the evening of Aug. 20. He woke in the night to a patter on the roof of his tent. It wasn’t rain, as he hoped, but blowing debris.

“Not long after this I heard someone outside my tent calling, `Ed.’ I recognized the voice as Louie Fitting’s.

“I said: `Hello, what’s the matter?’

“He said: `Come out here, I just saw a star fall on the hillside across the creek and it has started a fire.’

“I was out there at once … In looking around to the west, I saw the sky aglow with pink color spread across a width of several miles. I knew at once all about Fitting’s star and where it came from.”

Ranger Joe Halm’s fire crew was at the headwaters of the St. Joe River. Men burst into the camp, yelling that the fire was coming. Knowing they couldn’t outrun the flames, Halm strapped on his gun and ordered everyone to stay put.

“All our trust and hope was in the little stream and the friendly gravel bar. Some crept beneath wet blankets, but falling snags drove them out. Armed with buckets, we splashed back and forth in the shallow stream, throwing water as high as our strength would permit, drenching the burning trees. … Our drenched clothing steamed and smoked; still the men fought.

“After what seemed hours, the shower of sparks and burning brands grew less. The fire gradually subsided. Words were spoken. The drenched, begrimed men became more hopeful. Some even sought tobacco in their water-soaked clothing.”