The year 2010 marks the centennial of the start of a national wildland fire suppression policy that was instituted after a particularly devastating wildfire. The "Big Burn" or "Big Blowup" of August 20-21, 1910, destroyed three million acres of forest and several towns in Washington, Idaho, and Montana; 87 people died, 78 of whom were firefighters. Although the credit and honor go to all wildland firefighters for their efforts-past and present; paid and volunteer; state, federal, and local-we don't seem to be winning this war.
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