Wall of Flame: The Heroic Battle to Save Southern California [Hardcover]

Erich Krauss (Author), Mike Bell (Foreword)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0471696560 | ISBN-13: 978-0471696568 | Publication Date: March 31, 2006

A dramatic look from the front lines at the most devastating fire siege in California history

With over seven miles of urban/wildland interface unburned for thirty years and beautiful homes lacing in and out of its picturesque hilly terrain, Rancho Cucamonga was a powder keg--one that finally exploded in October 2003 with a ferocity no one could have expected. Now, Erich Krauss brings you to the ever-shifting front lines of the battle against the catastrophic inferno, the rugged terrain, and the ferocious winds, where municipal and wildland firefighters joined forces to save thousands of homes and lives.

Wall of Flame recalls the unprecedented events surrounding the Grand Prix Fire, revealing the moments of apparent indecision, the lack of coordination, and even how local, state, and federal firefighters--each with missions that at times opposed one another--put their differences aside for the greater good in order to save Southern California. With each passing hour, the fire grew larger and their task more immense.

Mistakes were made. Plans collapsed. Even the most seasoned firefighters felt the world close in. But they persevered. After all, it was their city, their homes, and their loved ones they were entrusted to protect. Their community was counting on them to save their homes and all the history they had wrapped up in them. This was a battle they could not afford to lose.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Krauss (On the Line; Wave of Destruction) follows the firefighters who battled the firestorm that raged in the Rancho Cucamonga area of southern California in October 2003 in this incendiary narrative. Krauss employs terse prose ("Berger needed reinforcements, and he needed them now") to narrate the fiery chaos, weaving in fascinating technical details of how large grassfires are fought-from describing the challenges faced by a helicopter water carrier whose water discharge mechanism malfunctions to the political machinations that govern command and control of firefighting operations. State, local and federal officials coordinated firefighting efforts, but dissonance among them (including confusion over chain-of-command and a reluctance on the part of each to call in air support for fear of being stuck with the bill) contributed to delays that resulted in the fire's spread. Though Krauss excels at detail work, his dialogue tends to be awkward and needlessly explanatory, resulting in firefighters and bureaucrats who don't come to life. A harrowing account of the finer details of firefighting, this book will appeal to civilians and professionals alike.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From the Inside Flap

"They say prayer changes things. I believe it. What happened, or didn't happen, in Rancho Cucamonga on the night of October 25, 2003, is hard to explain any other way. Certainly, good planning, years of training, and courageous firefighting contributed to the success we experienced in Rancho, but it does not tell the whole story."
—RCFD Deputy Chief Mike Bell

Every fall, Southern California faces an outbreak of wildfires—but in October 2003, the region fell victim to one of its worst fire sieges ever. Thirteen wildfires raged out of control across arid landscapes that were ripe for disaster. Despite well-laid plans and agreements made far in advance of the onslaught, California's bravest firefighters were caught off guard, facing the worst natural disaster of their careers.

In Rancho Cucamonga, situated at the base of the San Bernardino Mountains, the Grand Prix Fire destroyed homes, property, land, and lives. Wall of Flame goes to the front lines of the surging blaze that threatened to ravage Rancho and the quaint little towns surrounding it, tracing the timeline of events from the massive inferno's origin all the way through to its hard-fought end.

Within seconds of the first reports of a grass fire, troops began to roll. But this fire was like no other, and things quickly started going wrong. The helicopter pilot braving the smoke to dump water over the fire was unable to release his bucket. A critical delay in getting two airtankers over the scene lost even more precious minutes, as the fire began to rage out of control.

Back on the ground, firefighters were digging lines and risking their lives to contain the fire that was devouring acres at a time. But without critical support from above, the Grand Prix surged to thirty-five hundred acres overnight, pushing upslope to the northeast and then downhill toward Lytle Creek. And then, all hell broke loose. The Santa Ana winds kicked in, and with the fire at its doorstep, Rancho Cucamonga's airtight evacuation plan fell to pieces amidst pandemonium. The "ordinary" acts of heroism required every year were no longer enough.

With two-hundred-foot flames licking at their backs and blistering heat breathing down their necks, California's firefighters faced the most intense and personal battles of their careers. Wall of Flame is a riveting true account of the heroic firefighters who refused to back down until the last embers of their city's most devastating fire were extinguished.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (March 31, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471696560
• ISBN-13: 978-0471696568
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,862,467 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

ERICH KRAUSS is a professional Muay Thai kickboxer who has lived and fought in Thailand. He has written for the New York Times and is the author of more than twenty five books, including the New York Times Bestseller, Got Fight?.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Exceptional Book on Firefighting, April 10, 2006

By 

Steve N. (california) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wall of Flame: The Heroic Battle to Save Southern California (Hardcover)

My uncle told me that I would love this book, and he was right. Although I don't fight fire, most of my family does. I grew up around firefighters as a child, but I didn't truly understand what they went through on a big fire until I read this book. It made me realize that when a big one hits, there is very little firefighters can do but steer the blaze around threatened communities. The problem is made worse by organizations such as Fish and Wildlife that doesn't let the fire departments conduct prescribed burns. The wild land fire departments have their hands tied with red tape, but when big fires happen like the grand prix , they get blaimed for not putting the blaze out in the first few hours. This book documents the battle (both with the fire and politics)that occured on the front lines of the biggest fire siege in California history back in 2003. With helicopter pilots, hotshot crews, dozer operators, municipal crews and Incident Commanders each getting their own chapters, you get to see all sides of the fire and the different opinions that are occuring out on the fire line. It shows how the lack of communication between the wild land guys and the municipal guys can cause disaster. An exceptional read!!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read, December 24, 2006

By 

Michael Fox (San Bernardino, Calif) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wall of Flame: The Heroic Battle to Save Southern California (Hardcover)

I loved this book. If you want to know how it felt to be on the front lines of the Grand Prix or Old Fire during those days in October,2003. I worked in the San Bernardino Police Department mobile command post the first night of the Old Fire and remember watching the flames marching down Waterman Canyon towards us. Mr. Krauss captured the fire fighter's story quite well. He also touched on Critical Incident Stress which most authors leave out of their books. As part of the SBPD CISD Team I too was faced with dealing with Police Officers and Dispatchers who had lost their houses or were facing the loss of their homes. In fact, one of the dispatchers I worked with at the mobile command post watched the TV coverage of the Old Fire and saw his neighborhood go up in flames so I kicked him loose to make sure his house was okay. The next night, my neighborhood was evacuated but, after working through the early stages of the fire, I was too tired to evacuate. I would like to see more on the fight against the Old Fire in another book. After having lived and worked through it on the law enforcement side, it was good to read at least the small part that was included in this excellent book.

4.0 out of 5 stars well written, December 13, 2008

By 

B. Rogers "wildlandman" (nc) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wall of Flame: The Heroic Battle to Save Southern California (Hardcover)

I enjoyed reading this book, I think it was well written and very informative and gave insight to the world of wildland firefighters and the job they do.I would recommend this book to anyone interested in fighting fire.