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Paperback Under a Flaming Sky: The Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894 (P.S.) Book

ISBN: 006123625X

ISBN13: 9780061236259

Under a Flaming Sky: The Great Hinckley Firestorm of 1894 (P.S.)

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Format: Paperback

Condition: Very Good

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Book Overview

On September 1, 1894 two forest fires converged on the town of Hinckley, Minnesota, trapping over 2,000 people. Daniel J. Brown recounts the events surrounding the fire in the first and only book on to chronicle the dramatic story that unfolded. Whereas Oregon's famous "Biscuit" fire in 2002 burned 350,000 acres in one week, the Hinckley fire did the same damage in five hours. The fire created its own weather, including hurricane-strength winds, bubbles of plasma-like glowing gas, and 200-foot-tall flames. In some instances, "fire whirls," or tornadoes of fire, danced out from the main body of the fire to knock down buildings and carry flaming debris into the sky. Temperatures reached 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit--the melting point of steel.As the fire surrounded the town, two railroads became the only means of escape. Two trains ran the gauntlet of fire. One train caught on fire from one end to the other. The heroic young African-American porter ran up and down the length of the train, reassuring the passengers even as the flames tore at their clothes. On the other train, the engineer refused to back his locomotive out of town until the last possible minute of escape. In all, more than 400 people died, leading to a revolution in forestry management practices and federal agencies that monitor and fight wildfires today. Author Daniel Brown has woven together numerous survivors' stories, historical sources, and interviews with forest fire experts in a gripping narrative that tells the fascinating story of one of North America's most devastating fires and how it changed the nation. This description may be from another edition of this product.

Customer Reviews

9 customer ratings | 7 reviews

Rated 5 stars
Fabulous

I grew up in Wisconsin with knowledge of the Peshtigo fire in 1874 and when I moved to Minnesota, got interested in the Hinckley fire. This book is truly one of the best written about that tragedy. Brown's writing is excellent and I was amazed at all of the history, science and human interest contained in one book. A must read for everyone.

2Report

Rated 5 stars
Great read

Short easy book to read. We'll written, and very interesting with the facts on how major fires work. Recommend this to anyone.

2Report

Rated 5 stars
An excellent telling of a tragedy you've never heard of

Awesome descriptions and flow. Great read.

1Report

Rated 5 stars
Wow

The Hinkley fire has been a passion of mine since I was 12 years old. I even dragged my grandma to Hinkley to see the mass graves and memorials. I devoured every bit of scrap of information I could on the subject. For years. We went to the Hinkley Fire Mesuem on my honeymoon!! This guy took all this things I have read, and then some, and put them in a story I can read and make total sense of! He did his research to the tee,...

2Report

Rated 5 stars
Unimaginable horror in the woods of Northern Minnesota

When the citizens of Hinckley, Minnesota arose on Saturday, September 1, 1894 it looked for all the world to be just another ordinary Saturday. Some folks had to work at the Brennan Lumber Mill. For others there was washing to do and provisions to be picked up in town. The children might well spend part of the day fishing or maybe picking cranberries in the nearby bogs. And as for the engineers on the St Paul and Duluth...

2Report

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