Ghosts of the Fireground: Echoes of the Great Peshtigo Fire and the Calling of a Wildland Firefighter [Hardcover]

Peter M. Leschak (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2, 2002

On October 8, 1871, a wildfire of staggering immensity transformed the lumbering town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin (population 2,000), into a literal, burning hell. It was the deadliest fire in North American history. At least 1,200 people died, and the actual number of fatalities is unknown. Eighteen hundred square miles of woods, fields, and settlements were burned. By cruel coincidence, it was the very day and hour of the Great Chicago Fire.... The unlikely simultaneity of the two infernos has rendered Peshtigo unknown to most Americans.

April 2000: On the brink of one of the most ferocious fire seasons ever recorded, and faced with the challenge of commanding an elite attack helicopter team, wildland firefighter Peter Leschak discovers Father Pernin's written account of surviving the wildfire that devastated Peshtigo. As he takes us through Father Pernin's dangerous clash with the Great Peshtigo Fire, Leschak recounts his journey from a life preparing for the ministry to a career dedicated to fighting fires. In so doing, he breathes life into one of the most astounding and little-known disasters in American history and captures the sacred and mysterious pull of the fireground. From Father Pernin's struggle with an inferno so hot that not even the cold waters of the Peshtigo River guaranteed safety to the danger of today's frontline battles in America's wildlands, Ghosts of the Fireground weaves seamlessly between these compelling adventures, offering a breathtaking look at the awesome power of fire and the courageous and noble pursuit that is wildland firefighting.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

What is it about their work that makes firefighters so devoted addicted, even to the calling? Leschak (Trial by Wildfire), a 20-year veteran wildfire fighter, attempts to answer this question in his contemplative memoir. He focuses primarily on the spring of 2000, when he led a helitack crew (a rapid-response helicopter unit) battling especially fierce and persistent wildfires in western Montana. That was also when Leschak discovered the diaries of Father Peter Pernin, a survivor of the 1871 fire that leveled Peshtigo, Wis. He threads the story of the Peshtigo fire throughout the book, along with other historical facts about American forest fires and the formation of a wildfire subculture. As he describes the dangers faced by his own team, the plainspoken, articulate Leschak explores the psychology and spirituality of fire fighting particularly the exhilaration of life-threatening situations citing sources as diverse as Carl Jung, Friedrich Nietzsche, William James and Walker Percy. Leschak had trained to become an evangelical minister in East Texas, and he recalls his conversion to evangelism at age 18, after listening to a radio preacher; his growing disillusionment with the narrow-mindedness of his Bible college; and his revelatory discovery of his true life's work. In spite of its prominence in the subtitle, the story of the Peshtigo fire is woven casually and sporadically into the book; those looking for a sustained history should turn to another book on the Peshtigo fire being publishing the same month (Firestorm at Peshtigo. Nonetheless, Leschak's action scenes crackle with energy, and his down-to-earth account of his spiritual quest should strike a chord with many.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From The New Yorker

If almost no one has heard of the Great Peshtigo Fire of 1871, which consumed an entire Wisconsin town and killed twelve hundred people, that's because it occurred at the same time as the Great Chicago Fire. But Peshtigo was a far more potent example of just how devastating and uncontrollable fire can be, which is why it fascinates the author. In this curious blend of history and autobiography, Leschak, himself a wildland firefighter, intersperses an account of the Peshtigo disaster with stories of his own experience on the fireground. The result is often formally awkward, but the material is gripping, and Leschak does an excellent job of evoking both the terror and the majesty of a raging fire. In clean, understated prose, he describes the world of the firefighter, in which endless days of waiting give way to hours of intensity and exaltation. Firefighters, Leschak suggests, may not like fires, but they're never happier than when they're in the middle of one.
Copyright © 2005 The New Yorker --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: HarperOne (July 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0062517775
• ISBN-13: 978-0062517777
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,726,708 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A fair historical recounting heavily diluted by personal memoirs, January 29, 2009

By 

Steve Foltz "Prodigal Knot" (Gresham, OR) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Ghosts of the Fireground: Echoes of the Great Peshtigo Fire and the Calling of a Wildland Firefighter (Paperback)

Mr. Leschak writes quite well, I think. But, as was stated in other reviews, unless you have a real interest in wildfire fighting from a "line boss" point of view, this effort is less about Peshtigo and firefighting than it is about Mr. Leschak's personal spiritual journey and his finding personal fulfillment leading a fire crew. He is quite unapologetic about his disavowal of all things religious, having become quite immersed in his own revelation as it relates to the natural world.

What he does share about Peshtigo is enlightening and very absorbing. It is not as wanting as some might think, and the author ties in his own personal spiritual turmoil with the Catholic priest's encounter with the fury of nature (or is it an act of judgment?). Unfortunately, what one does read about the Peshtigo fire is about what you'd expect in a magazine story; just enough to whet your appetite for more.

8 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Buyer Beware, May 3, 2003

By 

Jeff Schuh (Portland, OR USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ghosts of the Fireground: Echoes of the Great Peshtigo Fire and the Calling of a Wildland Firefighter (Hardcover)

I intended to write a review halfway through this book, but I kept reading expecting it would actually talk about Peshtigo, but as other reviewers have said, it's mostly about Mr. Leschak. I finished it months ago, and just ran across it again lurking in my book pile, and yet I'm compelled to write a review.

I grew up in Wisconsin in the 60-70's well aware of the lore of the Peshtigo fire. I was excited when I heard of this book, as I would love to read an historical account of the fire, ala the genre of real life accounts of trial and survival (Shackleton's "South", Albanov's "In the Land of White Death", Lundy's" Godforsaken Sea", Krakauer's "Into Thin Air", Simpson's "Touching the Void"...). This book was not what I had expected, and not what I would call a riveting book. I think the subtitle describes the book's treatment of the fire somewhat appropriately as "Echoes of the Great Peshtigo Fire...".

That said, if someone wants to read about Mr. Leschak and the life of a firefighter, you may enjoy this book, but even then, it was a bit self absorbed, and brooding. If you want to learn about Peshtigo, look elsewhere. I'm personally looking forward to reading Lutz's "Firestorm at Peshtigo".

6 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed, January 6, 2003

By 

D. Westcot "westcotb" (Charlotte, MI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ghosts of the Fireground: Echoes of the Great Peshtigo Fire and the Calling of a Wildland Firefighter (Hardcover)

I was VERY disappointed with this book because it was recommended as a good account of the Peshtigo fire; yet, what the author actually had to say about this event could have fit into less than one chapter. I could not, however, justify giving it only one star as what he did say about the fire was interesting. This book would probably be read with great interest by those excited by helicopters and/or fighting wildfires as these are the real focuses of this book. Time after time, when I expected the author to really get into the Peshtigo fire, I was dismayed once again to find he once again goes into a long litany about himself which seems to be his true obsession. I got very tired of his self-praise and importance, his use of "big words" - as though to impress when plain language would have suited better, his over-emphasis on descriptive phrasing, and incomplete sentences! If you want to read about the Peshtigo fire, don't bother with this book.