|
The Mann Gulch fire was a wildfire reported on August 5, 1949 in a gulch located along the upper Missouri River in the Gates of the Mountains Wilderness, Helena National Forest, in the state of Montana in the United States. A team of 15 smokejumpers parachuted into the area on the afternoon of August 5, 1949 to fight the fire, rendezvousing with a former smokejumper who was employed as a fire guard at the nearby campground. As the team approached the fire to begin fighting it, unexpected high winds caused the fire to suddenly expand, cutting off the men's route and forcing them back uphill. During the next few minutes, a "blow-up" of the fire covered in ten minutes, claiming the lives of 13 firefighters, including 12 of the smokejumpers. Three of the smokejumpers survived. The fire would continue for five more days before being controlled. The United States Forest Service drew lessons from the tragedy of the Mann Gulch fire by designing new training techniques and safety measures that developed how the agency approached wildfire suppression. The agency also increased emphasis on fire research and the science of fire behavior. University of Chicago English professor and author Norman Maclean (1902–1990) researched the fire and its behavior for his book, ''Young Men and Fire'' (1992) which was published after his death.〔Maclean, Norman. ''Young Men and Fire'' (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1993). ISBN 0-226-50061-6〕 Maclean, who worked northwestern Montana in logging camps and for the forest service in his youth, recounted the events of the fire and ensuing tragedy and undertook a detailed investigation of the fire's causes. ''Young Men and Fire'' won the National Book Critics Circle Award for non-fiction in 1992.〔National Book Critics Circle. (All Past National Book Critics Circle Award Winners and Finalists ). Retrieved July 31, 2013.〕 The 1952 film, ''Red Skies of Montana'' starring actor Richard Widmark and directed by Joseph M. Newman was loosely based on the events of the Mann Gulch fire.〔 The location of the Mann Gulch fire was included as a historical district on the United States National Register of Historic Places on May 19, 1999.〔 == Sequence of events == The fire started when lightning struck the south side of Mann Gulch at the Gates of the Mountains, a canyon over five miles long that cuts through a series of 1,200 foot cliffs.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology: Lewis and Clark in Montana — a geologic perspective )〕 The place was noted and named by Lewis and Clark on their journey west in 1805.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Survey of Historic Sites and Buildings: Gates of the Rocky Mountains )〕 The fire was spotted by forest ranger James O. Harrison around noon on August 5, 1949. Harrison, a college student at Montana State University, was working the summer as recreation and fire prevention guard for the Meriwether Canyon Campground. The previous year he had been a smokejumper but had given it up because of the danger.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=US FOrest Service History, Mann Gulch Fire )〕 As a ranger he still had a responsibility to watch for and help fight fires, but it was not his primary role.〔, p. 31〕 On this day he fought the fire on his own for four hours before he met the crew of smokejumpers who had been dispatched from Hale Field, Missoula, Montana, in a C-47. It was hot, with a temperature of 97 °F, and the fire danger rating was high, rated 74 out of a possible 100.〔〔 Wind conditions that day were turbulent. One smokejumper got sick on the way and did not jump, returning with the airplane to Hale Field. Getting off the plane he resigned from the smokejumpers. In all, 15 smokejumpers parachuted into the fire. Their radio was destroyed during the jump, after its parachute failed to open, while other gear and individual jumpers were scattered widely due to the conditions. After the smokejumpers had landed a shout was heard coming from the front of the fire. Foreman Wagner Dodge went ahead to find the person shouting and to scout the fire. He left instructions for the team to finish gathering their equipment and eat, then cross the gully to the south slope and advance to the front of the fire. The voice turned out to be Jim Harrison, who had been fighting the fire by himself for the past four hours.〔 The two headed back, Dodge noting that you could not get closer to within 100 feet of the fire due to the heat. The crew met Dodge and Harrison about half way to the fire. Dodge instructed the team to move off the front of the fire and down the gully, crossing back over to the thinly forested and grass covered north slope of the gulch, "sidehilling" (keeping the same contour or elevation) and moving "down gulch" towards the Missouri River. They could then fight the fire from the flank or behind, steering the fire to a low fuel area. Dodge returned with Harrison up the gulch to the supply area, where the two stopped to eat before returning for the all-night work of fighting the fire. While there Dodge noticed the smoke along the fire front boiling up, indicating an intensification of the heat of the fire. He and Harrison headed down the gulch to catch up with the crew. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Mann Gulch fire」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|