On August 5, 1949, a wildfire in the Mann Gulch area of the Helena National Forest, Montana, overran a smokejumper crew that had parachuted into a small valley near the fire. Thirteen men lost their lives, as the fire “blew up” and swept over them (Rothermel 1993). That fall, Harry Gisborne reviewed all available reports on the fire and tried to develop a theory of how the blow-up occurred. Wanting to see the site firsthand before winter and determined to learn what lessons could be learned to predict fire behavior and save firefighter lives in the future, he set out to explore the Mann Gulch burn. On November 9, 1949, while hiking through the burned area as part of his investigation, Gisborne had a heart attack and died at the site, in essence the 14th casualty of the fire (Hardy 1977). Gisborne’s death could be viewed as the end of an era in fire research but in many ways, it also signaled the beginning of a new one.
Learn about the events at Mann Gulch through a series of videos.
National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG) Library
Staff Ride to the Mann Gulch Fire | NWCG
This Day in Wildland Fire History: Mann Gulch (Montana) - August 5, 1949
Collection of Historical Photographs, Mann Gulch Fire | NWCG
Please view the Documents and Downloads section (left navigation section) for bonus material.
