The Big Burn: The Forgotten Firestorm That Changed America

 The 1910 Big Burn wasn’t a wildfire — it was a firestorm that outran horses, erased towns in minutes, and nearly destroyed the entire U.S. Forest Service. In August 1910, a perfect storm of drought, wind, bad policy, and impossible conditions triggered one of the most devastating disasters in American history. This is the real story of the Big Burn—and why its lessons still matter. You’ll learn how disaster conditions align, why suppression shaped modern megafires, and how Ranger Ed Pulaski saved his men against impossible odds. Tap subscribe so you don’t miss the next twist in history. ________________________________________ Related Episodes / Playlists The Big Burn’s most relevant companion episodes: • Piper Alpha Disaster – https://youtu.be/eBoFtdwMr6E • Disaster Files Playlist – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvguDu9efxtos3CO6X-8E05p-gX1riBPz ________________________________________ 📚 References U.S. Forest Service Big Burn Overview – https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/r1/learning/history-culture/?cid=stelprdb5279646 Pulaski Tunnel Trail Information – https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/ipnf/recarea/?recid=6765 National Interagency Fire Center Historical Fires – https://www.nifc.gov/fire-information/statistics/historical Smithsonian Magazine – The Big Burn of 1910 – https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-big-burn-180952126/ Library of Congress Wildfire Archive – https://www.loc.gov/collections/wildfires/ Speed & Spread Documentation (re: “outrunning horses”) Forest History Society – The 1910 Fires – https://foresthistory.org/research-explore/us-forest-service-history/policy-and-law/fire-u-s-forest-service/famous-fires/the-1910-fires/ Historical summary describing hurricane-force winds, rapid spread, and escape attempts outrun by the firestorm. InterMountainHistories.org – “The Big Burn” – https://www.intermountainhistories.org/items/show/623 Contains firsthand-style testimony: “Firefighters … reported that it was near impossible to outrun the heat because the inferno moved at the speed of a charging horse.” ________________________________________ Credits Music: YouTube Audio Library Images/Footage:  iStock and Getty, backdrops are generated by AI. ________________________________________ Hashtags #BigBurn #WildfireHistory #DisasterFiles #AnOuncePodcast ________________________________________ 🎯 Chapters (Timestamps) (Estimated based on final narrative pacing) 00:00 – Fire Outran Horses 00:20 – The Big Burn of 1910 01:37 – The Conditions for Disaster 03:08 – Crown Fire 05:05 – The 48-Hour Firestorm 06:00 – Inside the Pulaski Tunnel 07:57 – Aftermath & What Was Lost 09:50 – An Ounce ________________________________________  10 second pre-roll promo for An Ounce Podcast on YouTube