Great Fire of 1910

Background and climatic conditions

The winter of 1909 to 1910 and the following spring and summer were described as extremely dry, creating a severe and early drought across the Inland Northwest. This prolonged dry period was unusual for a region accustomed to dependable autumn and winter moisture, and it left forests filled with abundant dry fuel. The summer of 1910 was also exceptionally hot, setting the stage for a dangerous fire season. By mid-August, an estimated 1,000 to 3,000 individual fires were already burning across Idaho, Montana, and Washington. These fires had been ignited by a variety of sources, including hot cinders flung from steam locomotives, sparks from other human activities, and lightning strikes from passing storms. Backfiring crews, who set small fires to burn out fuel ahead of larger fires, also contributed to the number of ignition points. The United States Forest Service, then called the National Forest Service and only five years old, was unprepared for the scale of the crisis and had been urgently recruiting men throughout the summer to fight the hundreds of existing blazes.

The Big Blowup of August 20-21

On Saturday, August 20, 1910, a cold front passage brought hurricane-force west and southwest winds to the interior northwest. These winds, which some accounts describe as of hurricane force, whipped the hundreds of small, smouldering fires back to life and caused them to blow up and join together. This created one or two massive fire fronts that moved with terrifying speed and intensity, forming a firestorm of unprecedented size. Such a conflagration was impossible to fight with the available men and supplies. The extreme scorching heat of the inferno has been partly attributed to the expansive forests of Western white pine that covered much of northern Idaho, as the trees' flammable sap contributed to the fire's intensity. Smoke from the fire was seen as far east as Watertown, New York, and as far south as Denver, Colorado. The firestorm raged for two days until another cold front swept in, bringing steady rain and some early snowfall that finally extinguished the flames.

Firefighting efforts and military deployment

Throughout the summer, the fledgling U.S. Forest Service had been recruiting as many men as possible, though many recruits had little forestry or firefighting experience. Recognizing the escalating crisis, President William Howard Taft authorized the use of military troops in early August to assist the firefighting effort. A total of 4,000 troops were deployed to the northern Rockies, including seven companies from the U.S. Army's 25th Infantry Regiment, known as the Buffalo Soldiers. The arrival of these African American soldiers almost doubled the black population of Idaho at the time. Despite this bolstered force, the firefighting strategy was overwhelmed by the sudden confluence of fires into a single, massive blowup on August 20. The efforts shifted from direct attack to evacuation and survival, as the firestorm created its own weather and made conventional tactics useless. The deployment highlighted the federal government's direct involvement in wildfire disaster response, a relatively new concept at the time.

Casualties and stories of survival

The fire killed 87 people, with at least 78 of those being firefighters who died while trying to control the blaze. This total does not include firefighters who died later from smoke damage to their lungs. The most famous single incident was the loss of the entire 28-man "Lost Crew," who were overcome by flames and perished on Setzer Creek outside of Avery, Idaho. This remains the deadliest wildfire incident for firefighters in U.S. history, only being surpassed in total emergency responder fatalities by the September 11 attacks. The most celebrated story of survival is that of Ranger Ed Pulaski. As the fire overtook his crew of about 44 men near Wallace, Idaho, Pulaski led them to an abandoned prospect mine tunnel for shelter. When flames reached the tunnel mouth, Pulaski fought them off until he passed out. When a panicked man announced he was leaving around midnight, Pulaski drew his pistol and threatened to shoot the first person who tried to flee, knowing they would not survive outside. All but five of the men survived the ordeal in what is now called the Pulaski Tunnel, a National Register of Historic Places site.

Destruction of communities and infrastructure

The fire completely destroyed several towns. In Idaho, the towns of Falcon and Grand Forks were wiped out. In Montana, the communities of De Borgia, Haugan, Henderson, Taft, and Tuscor were lost. One-third of the significant mining town of Wallace, Idaho, was burned to the ground, causing an estimated one million dollars in damage at the time, equivalent to over 31 million dollars in 2023. Other Idaho towns like Burke, Kellogg, Murray, and Osburn suffered severe damage. Evacuations were dramatic and chaotic. Passenger trains evacuated thousands of Wallace residents to Spokane, Washington, and Missoula, Montana. One train from Avery carrying 1,000 people took refuge in a tunnel after racing across a burning trestle. The towns of Avery, Saltese in Montana, and a major part of Wallace were saved through the use of strategic backfires set by firefighters to burn fuel ahead of the main fire. The fire also caused an estimated one billion dollars' worth of timber loss, devastating the regional forestry industry.

Immediate aftermath and public perception

In the immediate aftermath, the U.S. Forest Service received considerable public recognition and sympathy for its firefighting efforts. This public support translated directly into political action, with Congress doubling the Forest Service's budget following the disaster. The outcome served to highlight wildland firefighters as national heroes while raising public awareness of the need for national nature conservation. The fire occurred at a time when the very existence of the Forest Service was debated, facing opposition from mining and forestry interests. The heroic narrative that emerged from the tragedy helped secure the agency's future. The scale of the destruction also ended a pre-existing debate about whether forest fires should be fought or allowed to burn as a natural process. The sheer cost in lives and property made a compelling case for a policy of active intervention and suppression.

Long-term policy legacy and institutional change

The Great Fire of 1910 fundamentally shaped the identity, mission, and policies of the U.S. Forest Service for most of the 20th century. Although the Forest Service had instituted a policy of extinguishing all fires quickly in 1908, the impossibility of controlling the 1910 firestorm initially called that strategy into question. Despite this, the second Chief Forester, Henry Graves, doubled down after the fire. He launched a campaign to remove fire from the landscape entirely, advocating for a more aggressive fire prevention and suppression policy. This law authorized federal cooperation with states and private owners for fire protection and has been credited with saving nearly 20 million acres of forestland. Ferdinand Silcox, who fought the 1910 fires, later became the fifth chief of the Forest Service. Deeply influenced by the devastation, Silcox promoted the strict "10 a.m." policy, which dictated that every reported fire must be controlled by 10 a.m. the day after its discovery. This doctrine of total suppression became a core tenet of American wildfire management for decades.

The fire in ecological and historical context

The Great Fire of 1910 is believed to be the largest forest fire complex in recorded United States history by area burned, though not the deadliest. It burned large parts of at least ten national forests, including the Bitterroot, Cabinet, Clearwater, Coeur d'Alene, Flathead, Kaniksu, Kootenai, Lewis and Clark, Lolo, and St. Joe. The event is a landmark in the climatological history of the American West, studied as an extreme example of fire weather conditions involving drought, wind, and fuel accumulation. For Canada, the fire's extensions into southeastern British Columbia link it directly to Canadian territory and environmental history. It serves as an early example of the transnational nature of major wildfire events and smoke plumes in North America. The fire also had unintended social consequences, such as the temporary demographic shift in Idaho caused by the deployment of the Buffalo Soldiers. It represents a defining moment that set the course for wildfire management philosophy, prioritizing human safety and resource protection over natural fire cycles.

Cultural references, tools, and remembrance

The Great Fire of 1910 has endured in cultural memory and practical forestry. It is a central theme in Denis Johnson's 2011 novella Train Dreams and a subsequent 2025 film adaptation. The firefighting tool known as the Pulaski, a combination axe and hoe essential for building firelines, was later designed by and named for Ranger Ed Pulaski. Historical sites like the Pulaski Tunnel and the Avery Depot in Idaho, used as an evacuation site, serve as physical reminders of the event. Organizations like the Forest History Society maintain extensive archives and resources, such as their online exhibit "When the Mountains Roared: Stories of the 1910 Fire." The disaster is frequently cited in modern discussions about wildfire policy and climate change, often compared to contemporary extreme fire seasons. Scholars continue to examine the fire through books like Timothy Egan's The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire That Saved America and Stephen Pyne's Year of the Fires: The Story of the Great Fires of 1910, ensuring its lessons remain part of the public discourse.

Questions about Great Fire of 1910

Which towns were destroyed by the 1910 fire?

Several towns were completely destroyed. In Idaho, Falcon and Grand Forks were lost. In Montana, the towns of De Borgia, Haugan, Henderson, Taft, and Tuscor were wiped out. Additionally, one-third of Wallace, Idaho, was burned, and towns like Burke, Kellogg, Murray, and Osburn suffered severe damage. Avery and Saltese were saved by backfires.

Who was Ed Pulaski and why is he famous?

Ed Pulaski was a U.S. Forest Service ranger who became a hero during the fire. He saved most of his 44-man crew by leading them to shelter in an abandoned mine tunnel near Wallace, Idaho. When some men tried to flee into the fire, he threatened them with his pistol to keep them in the safer tunnel. All but five survived. The tunnel is now a historic site, and a firefighting tool is named after him.

What was the Great Fire of 1910 also known as?

The Great Fire of 1910 is also commonly referred to as the Big Blowup, the Big Burn, or the Devil's Broom fire. It was a wildfire of unprecedented size in the Inland Northwest region of the United States. The firestorm burned over two days on the weekend of August 20 to 21. It is believed to be the largest forest fire in United States history.

How many acres burned in the Great Fire of 1910?

The Great Fire of 1910 burned three million acres of forest. This vast area included large parts of multiple national forests in Northern Idaho and Western Montana. The fire also had extensions into Eastern Washington and Southeast British Columbia. An estimated one billion dollars' worth of timber was lost in the blaze.

How many people died in the Great Fire of 1910?

The fire killed 87 people. At least 78 of those killed were firefighters who died while trying to control the blaze. This does not include firefighters who died later from smoke damage to their lungs. It remains the second deadliest incident in the history of United States firefighting.

What were the main causes of the Great Fire of 1910?

The primary cause was a combination of severe drought and a series of lightning storms that ignited hundreds of small fires. Ignition sources also likely included human activity such as from railroads, homesteaders, and loggers. By mid August, there were an estimated 1,000 to 3,000 individual fires burning. Hurricane force winds on August 20 then combined these into a massive firestorm.

Sources: Wikipedia and current public reporting, checked by the Your Space Hamilton desk. Last updated 2026-10-21.