← Evidence Library

Museum or archive

Mann Gulch Fire, 1949

Forest History Society

Where this source supports the record

Each entry separates the article’s editorial relevance note from its exact, section-level claims. A bibliography link without a direct claim is labeled plainly.

  1. Fires · 5 August 1949

    The Mann Gulch Fire

    Mann Gulch wildfire and smokejumper escape route · United States

    Open article references →
    Why editors use it here

    Nonprofit historical synthesis of the crew's movements, blowup, escape fire, investigation, and firefighting legacy.

    1. Quick read

      On 5 August 1949, fifteen Forest Service smokejumpers and a local fire guard confronted a small wildfire in Mann Gulch.

      Reviewed 26 July 2026
    2. Trigger and conditions

      After parachuting into the gulch, the crew met guard James Harrison and approached the fire from above.

      Reviewed 26 July 2026
    3. Uncertainty

      Exact fire speed, timing, shouted instructions, and each jumper's path were reconstructed from three survivors, fire evidence, and later experiments.

      Reviewed 26 July 2026
    4. Why it matters

      Mann Gulch changed wildfire safety because it made fire behavior, human perception, and organization inseparable.

      Reviewed 26 July 2026