The Fire Line

The story of the Yarnell Hill wildfire of 2013 and the Arizona men who gave everything to fight it.

"Meticulously researched and as dramatic as any thriller." —People Magazine

Western Writers of America 2017

Spur Award Winner, Best First Nonfiction Book

Spur Award Finalist, Best Western Contemporary Nonfiction

The Fire Line is the story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, an elite crew trained to combat wildfires in the wildlands of the American West, crisscrossing the country wherever the fires take them. A stirring portrait of a band of brothers at work, at play, and at home, until a fire burning in their own backyards leads to a national tragedy. With impeccable research that draws upon more than a hundred hours of interviews with the firefighters' families, colleagues, and state and federal officials. 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 wilderness.

"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

"In this riveting and poignant narrative, Fernanda Santos introduces the reader to a brave band of men, most of them in their 20's, who battle destructive wildfires. . . . A gripping account of one of the nation's most deadly wildfires and an inspiring look at the men who put their lives on the line and the loved ones they left behind." —The Associated Press

"[Santos] makes a valuable contribution to the literature of disaster preparedness and management―and given that wildfire is a growing problem in the ever more arid West, that literature needs all the good work it can get." —Kirkus Reviews