Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
Audiobook6 hours
The Fire Line: The Story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots
Written by Fernanda Santos
Narrated by Ari Fliakos
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
()
About this audiobook
“In Fernanda Santos’ expert hands, the story of 19 men and a raging wildfire unfolds as a riveting, pulse-pounding account of an American tragedy; and also as a meditation on manhood, brotherhood and family love. The Fire Line is a great and deeply moving book about courageous men and women.”
- Héctor Tobar, author of Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine and the Miracle that Set Them Free.
When a bolt of lightning ignited a hilltop in the sleepy town of Yarnell, Arizona, in June of 2013, setting off a blaze that would grow into one of the deadliest fires in American history, the twenty men who made up the Granite Mountain Hotshots sprang into action.
An elite crew trained to combat the most challenging wildfires, the Granite Mountain Hotshots were a ragtag family, crisscrossing the American West and wherever else the fires took them. The Hotshots were loyal to one another and dedicated to the tough job they had. There's Eric Marsh, their devoted and demanding superintendent who turned his own personal demons into lessons he used to mold, train and guide his crew; Jesse Steed, their captain, a former Marine, a beast on the fire line and a family man who wasn’t afraid to say “I love you” to the firemen he led; Andrew Ashcraft, a team leader still in his 20s who struggled to balance his love for his beautiful wife and four children and his passion for fighting wildfires. We see this band of brothers at work, at play and at home, until a fire that burned in their own backyards leads to a national tragedy.
Impeccably researched, drawing upon more than a hundred hours of interviews with the firefighters’ families, colleagues, state and federal officials, and fire historians and researchers, New York Times Phoenix Bureau Chief Fernanda Santos has written a riveting, pulse-pounding narrative of an unthinkable disaster, a remarkable group of men and the raging wildfires that threaten our country’s treasured wild lands.
The Fire Line is the winner of the 2017 Spur Award for Best First Nonfiction Book, and Spur Award Finalist for Best Western Contemporary Nonfiction.
Author
Fernanda Santos
Fernanda Santos covers Arizona and New Mexico as the Phoenix bureau chief for The New York Times. The Fire Line is her first book.
Related to The Fire Line
Related audiobooks
The Man Who Caught the Storm: The Life of Legendary Tornado Chaser Tim Samaras Smokejumper: A Memoir by One of America's Most Select Airborne Firefighters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Eruption: The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/581 Days Below Zero: The Incredible Survival Story of a World War II Pilot in Alaska's Frozen Wilderness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/53000 Degrees: The True Story of a Deadly Fire and the Men Who Fought It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Esperanza Fire: Arson, Murder and the Agony of Engine 57 Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Fire on the Mountain Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Storm Kings: The Untold History of America's First Tornado Chasers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAlone: Lost Overboard in the Indian Ocean Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Report from Ground Zero: The Story of the Rescue Efforts at the World Trade Center Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Young Men and Fire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What Stands in a Storm: Three Days in the Worst Superstorm to Hit the South's Tornado Alley Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Great Deluge Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Perfect Storm: A True Story of Men Against the Sea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gathering Wind: Hurricane Sandy, the Sailing Ship Bounty, and a Courageous Rescue at Sea Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Adrift [Movie tie-in]: A True Story of Love, Loss, and Survival at Sea Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tiger in the Sea: The Ditching of Flying Tiger 923 and the Desperate Struggle for Survival Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Next Everest: Surviving the Mountain's Deadliest Day and Finding the Resilience to Climb Again Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Into the Storm: Violent Tornadoes, Killer Hurricanes, and Death-defying Adventures in Extreme Weather Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5First In, Last Out: Leadership Lessons from the New York Fire Department Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Left for Dead: My Journey Home from Everest Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Touching History: The Untold Story of the Drama that Unfolded in the Skies over America on 9/11 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Boys in the Cave: Deep Inside the Impossible Rescue in Thailand Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Judgment Ridge: The True Story Behind the Dartmouth Murders Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Time Bandit: Two Brothers, the Bering Sea, and One of the World's Deadliest Jobs Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Home Waters: A Chronicle of Family and a River Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Biography & Memoir For You
Becoming Bulletproof: Protect Yourself, Read People, Influence Situations, and Live Fearlessly Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Man's Search for Meaning Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Girls Don't Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5And Then There Were None Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Stolen Life: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Elon Musk Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come: One Introvert's Year of Saying Yes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hit and Run Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Ghosts That Haunt Me Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Born Standing Up: A Comic's Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Taste of Love Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Child Called It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ivy League Counterfeiter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Billion Years: My Escape From a Life in the Highest Ranks of Scientology Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5People, Places, Things: My Human Landmarks Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mostly What God Does: Reflections on Seeking and Finding His Love Everywhere Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5All That Remains: A Renowned Forensic Scientist on Death, Mortality, and Solving Crimes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Loud: Accept Nothing Less Than the Life You Deserve Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Little Bit Wicked Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Taste: My Life Through Food Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In the Dream House: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What I Ate in One Year: (and related thoughts) Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dolly Parton: The Life of a Legendary American Singer, Actor, and Businesswoman Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5My Mother Was Nuts: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related podcast episodes
If I Live Until Morning: Cheating Death on the John Muir Trail with Jean Muenchrath 0% found this document usefulA House Divided - Luke Grimes & Wes Bentley 0% found this document useful180: On the Trail of the Lost with Andrea Lankford 0% found this document usefulDan Flores | Coyote America 0% found this document usefulBest of 2019: The Donner Party Pt. 1: On May 12, 1846, a wagon train set out toward the West Coast of North America. 0% found this document usefulWhat Was Alcatraz? 0% found this document usefulNatalia Grace: Troubled Child or Adult Scam Artist? 0% found this document usefulThe Epic Love Story of Rip & Beth – with Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly 100% found this document usefulBoyd Craven on The Written Apocalypse: Prolific Author Boyd Craven. 0% found this document usefulLewis and Clark | Across the Rockies | 2 0% found this document usefulHeather Carson on The Written Apocalypse: Heather Carson on The Written Apocalypse 0% found this document useful75) Tragedy on the Mountains: The Mann Gulch Fire Disaster 0% found this document usefulThe Battle of Ape Canyon | Case File 285 0% found this document useful
Related articles
Remembering Allan McDonald: He Refused To Approve Challenger Launch, Exposed Cover-Up NPRUNLIMITED
Remembering Allan McDonald: He Refused To Approve Challenger Launch, Exposed Cover-Up
Mar 7, 2021
4 min readApple Tv+ To Produce Masters Of The Air, The Second Band Of Brothers Sequel TechLife NewsUNLIMITED
Apple Tv+ To Produce Masters Of The Air, The Second Band Of Brothers Sequel
Mar 13, 2021
3 min readEverest Is Over The AtlanticUNLIMITED
Everest Is Over
Jun 5, 2019
6 min readWe Went On Holiday Finn Never Came Back Woman's OwnUNLIMITED
We Went On Holiday Finn Never Came Back
Jun 15, 2021
4 min readCarolyn Drake California Burning ApertureUNLIMITED
Carolyn Drake California Burning
Mar 12, 2019
4 min readThe Battle of High Hill The AtlanticUNLIMITED
The Battle of High Hill
Aug 30, 2021
26 min readL.A.'s Day at the Mercy of the Wind The AtlanticUNLIMITED
L.A.'s Day at the Mercy of the Wind
Dec 7, 2017
3 min readScorched To The Core Surfing LifeUNLIMITED
Scorched To The Core
Feb 28, 2020
5 min readA Fire Lookout On What's Lost In A Transition To Technology NPRUNLIMITED
A Fire Lookout On What's Lost In A Transition To Technology
Sep 15, 2019
6 min readThe Fire This Time Country LifeUNLIMITED
The Fire This Time
Aug 3, 2022
THE week before the temperature in Suffolk reached 39˚C, we were sitting in the garden on a cool, moonshiny evening. It was pure joy because we were drinking our sparkling Wyken Moonshine with our friends James and Kerry, toasting ‘Friends Reunited’.
4 min readNational Book Award Finalist 'Fire Weather' Explores The Links Between Fire And Our Warming Planet NPRUNLIMITED
National Book Award Finalist 'Fire Weather' Explores The Links Between Fire And Our Warming Planet
Nov 6, 2023
3 min readSummer From Hell GQ AustraliaUNLIMITED
Summer From Hell
Mar 18, 2020
11 min readTracking Down a Catastrophic Fire’s First Spark The AtlanticUNLIMITED
Tracking Down a Catastrophic Fire’s First Spark
Nov 21, 2018
5 min readA Mountain Shaped By Fire Adirondack ExplorerUNLIMITED
A Mountain Shaped By Fire
Nov 1, 2019
6 min readWe're Not In Kansas Anymore WanderlustUNLIMITED
We're Not In Kansas Anymore
Sep 19, 2024
9 min readThe Big Burn Wild WestUNLIMITED
The Big Burn
Mar 24, 2020
9 min readArkleside Yorkshire Dales The FieldUNLIMITED
Arkleside Yorkshire Dales
Aug 15, 2024
7 min readThe Unlearned Country Earth GardenUNLIMITED
The Unlearned Country
Aug 31, 2020
5 min readWhat Facebook, Blue Jeans, and Metal Signs Taught Us About Tornado Science NautilusUNLIMITED
What Facebook, Blue Jeans, and Metal Signs Taught Us About Tornado Science
Apr 29, 2015
4 min readOur Forests Need More Fire, Not Less The AtlanticUNLIMITED
Our Forests Need More Fire, Not Less
Dec 20, 2023
5 min readThe Virgin Islands, After Irma: 'It Was Like Stepping Onto Another Planet' NPRUNLIMITED
The Virgin Islands, After Irma: 'It Was Like Stepping Onto Another Planet'
Sep 14, 2017
6 min readThe Fire Starters Audubon MagazineUNLIMITED
The Fire Starters
Oct 2, 2023
14 min readBurning Up The New York Review of Books MagazineUNLIMITED
Burning Up
Apr 19, 2024
13 min readFires Of The future WildUNLIMITED
Fires Of The future
Jun 5, 2023
8 min readAfter the Inferno... TracksUNLIMITED
After the Inferno...
Mar 30, 2020
14 min read'It Seemed Apocalyptic' 40 Years Ago When Mount St. Helens Erupted NPRUNLIMITED
'It Seemed Apocalyptic' 40 Years Ago When Mount St. Helens Erupted
May 18, 2020
Howard Berkes covered the 1980 eruptions of Mount St. Helens for NPR, and has returned to the volcano for multiple stories over the years. He recalls the massive blast and its aftermath.
5 min readThis Island’s Life Australian GeographicUNLIMITED
This Island’s Life
Feb 27, 2020
7 min readAmerica’s Strangest Tourist Destination The AtlanticUNLIMITED
America’s Strangest Tourist Destination
Oct 24, 2024
6 min readThe NEW Normal Muse: The magazine of science, culture, and smart laughs for kids and childrenUNLIMITED
The NEW Normal
Jul 1, 2019
7 min readThe Wooden Viking Popshot MagazineUNLIMITED
The Wooden Viking
May 9, 2019
2 min read
Reviews for The Fire Line
Rating: 4.375 out of 5 stars
4.5/5
8 ratings0 reviews