Fire Story - Vallecito Burning: A Personal Account of the 2002 Missionary Ridge Fire, Bob Thompson, 2006.
Fire Story is a compilation of one person's observations, both written and photographed, of a gripping event, a conflagration known as the Missionary Ridge Fire, in southwestern Colorado that occurred during the summer of 2002. It is a story of successes, failures, emotional highs and lows, heroism, cooperation, good people, good intentions, luck (both good and bad), an unwieldy and often frustrating federal bureaucracy, and the awesome power of nature unleashed.
This story deals primarily with one area affected by the fire, the Vallecito Valley, which lies geographically about fifteen miles northeast of Durango, and more than a dozen miles east of the starting point of the fire.
Rather than just a third-party byline description of the fire, as may be found in competing books, Fire Story is a very personal story, carrying with it startling revelations that not all is well with Forest Service fire fighting activities. Many events transpired and were observed during the fire that the author, and others, felt the need to share with the rest of the world. Intertwined in the writing is also the story of a community working together.
Powerful photographs support the story line of this compelling book.
About the Author Bob Thompson is a semi-retired college and university faculty member in Arizona. His broad background allows him to teach both Geology and Life Sciences, emphasizing the interactions of all the Earth Systems. Not your stereotype environmentalist, nor Earth exploitationist. In his classes, he teaches both sides of the environmental / business equation. Having a college minor in forestry and previous experience with forest fires gave him the confidence to remain in the Vallecito Valley as the fire approached.
He has been hiking in, leading tours and backpacking adventures in, flying over, and studying the Earth systems of the San Juan Mountains area, including the Vallecito Valley, since 1966, and he has owned a home in the Vallecito Valley in 1990.
8 1/2" x 11", 81 pages, B&W and color photos, softcover, ISBN: 1-4140-4000-8, BF8080 / $22.00
RELATED MATERIAL:
Fire Technical Books
Human Interest Books
Wildland Firefighting