Contributing Factors
Several factors that combined to create the disaster are described in Norman MacLean's book Young Men and Fire.
- Slope — Fire spreads faster up a slope, and the north slope of Mann Gulch was about a 75% incline. Slope also makes it very difficult to run.
- Fuel — Fire spreads fast in dry grass. The north slope of Mann Gulch was mostly tall grass that was left ungrazed by nearby ranchers' cattle because the area had been recently designated a wildlife area.
- Leadership — Dodge did not know most of the crew, as he had been doing base maintenance work during the normal training and "get acquainted" time of the season. This may have contributed to the crew not trusting his "escape fire." Furthermore, Dodge left his crew for several minutes, during which the second-in-command let them spread out instead of staying together.
- Communication — The crew's single radio broke because its parachute failed to open. It could have possibly prevented the disaster or helped to get aid more quickly to the two burned men who died later. There were other dangerous fires going on at the same time and Forest Service leaders did not know what was happening on Mann Gulch.
- Weather — The season was very dry and that day was extremely hot. Winds in the Gulch were also strong "up gulch'" the same direction in which the men tried to run.
Read more about this topic: Mann Gulch Fire
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