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Peter M. Leschak

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Ghosts of the Fireground: Echoes of the Great Peshtigo Fire and the Calling of a Wildland Firefighter Kindle Edition

by Peter M Leschak (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

4.3 43 ratings

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In October 1871, a massive forest fire incinerated the town of Peshtigo, Wisconsin. It was the deadliest fire in North American history, an event so intense that its release of energy was not approximated until the advent of thermo-nuclear weapons. At least 1,200 people perished—some in bizarre and disturbing ways—and the actual number of fatalities is unknown, perhaps as many as 1,500 were lost. Since the Great Chicago Fire occurred at the same time, Peshtigo was overshadowed and almost forgotten.

In 2000, veteran wild-land firefighter Peter Leschak was faced with a hot and challenging fire season, tasked with the leadership of a helitack crew—an airborne fire team expected to be the “tip of the spear” on wildfire initial attacks. During that long summer he studied Father Peter Pernon’s eyewitness account of the Pehstigo holocaust, and using his knowledge and experience as a firefighter, Leschak placed himself in Pernin’s shoes, as much as possible being transported to the firestorm of 1871. Ghosts of the Fireground tells both tales: the horrific saga of Peshtigo, and the modern battles of a wildfire helicopter crew, seamlessly intertwining the stories to enhance them both.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

What is it about their work that makes firefighters so devoted addicted, even to the calling? Leschak (Trial by Wildfire), a 20-year veteran wildfire fighter, attempts to answer this question in his contemplative memoir. He focuses primarily on the spring of 2000, when he led a helitack crew (a rapid-response helicopter unit) battling especially fierce and persistent wildfires in western Montana. That was also when Leschak discovered the diaries of Father Peter Pernin, a survivor of the 1871 fire that leveled Peshtigo, Wis. He threads the story of the Peshtigo fire throughout the book, along with other historical facts about American forest fires and the formation of a wildfire subculture. As he describes the dangers faced by his own team, the plainspoken, articulate Leschak explores the psychology and spirituality of fire fighting particularly the exhilaration of life-threatening situations citing sources as diverse as Carl Jung, Friedrich Nietzsche, William James and Walker Percy. Leschak had trained to become an evangelical minister in East Texas, and he recalls his conversion to evangelism at age 18, after listening to a radio preacher; his growing disillusionment with the narrow-mindedness of his Bible college; and his revelatory discovery of his true life's work. In spite of its prominence in the subtitle, the story of the Peshtigo fire is woven casually and sporadically into the book; those looking for a sustained history should turn to another book on the Peshtigo fire being publishing the same month (Firestorm at Peshtigo. Nonetheless, Leschak's action scenes crackle with energy, and his down-to-earth account of his spiritual quest should strike a chord with many.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From The New Yorker

If almost no one has heard of the Great Peshtigo Fire of 1871, which consumed an entire Wisconsin town and killed twelve hundred people, that's because it occurred at the same time as the Great Chicago Fire. But Peshtigo was a far more potent example of just how devastating and uncontrollable fire can be, which is why it fascinates the author. In this curious blend of history and autobiography, Leschak, himself a wildland firefighter, intersperses an account of the Peshtigo disaster with stories of his own experience on the fireground. The result is often formally awkward, but the material is gripping, and Leschak does an excellent job of evoking both the terror and the majesty of a raging fire. In clean, understated prose, he describes the world of the firefighter, in which endless days of waiting give way to hours of intensity and exaltation. Firefighters, Leschak suggests, may not like fires, but they're never happier than when they're in the middle of one.
Copyright © 2005 The New Yorker

From Booklist

On October 8, 1871, a wildfire broke out in Peshtigo, Wisconsin. There were at least 1,200 fatalities in a community of about 2,000, making the Peshtigo fire the deadliest in North American history. Why haven't more people heard of it? Because at the same time as Peshtigo was burning, Mrs. O'Leary's cow knocked over a lantern and started the Great Chicago Fire. This isn't the first book-length account of the Peshtigo fire, but the events chronicled by veteran firefighter Leschak should come as a surprise to most readers. The author plunks us right down in the midst of the inferno, making us burst into a sweat just reading about it, but the book is not just the story of the 130-year-old Peshtigo disaster. It's also about contemporary firefighters, men and women who risk their lives to stop a frequently unstoppable force of nature. Leschak recounts his own adventures, contrasting modern fire-fighting techniques with those available in 1871 and speculating on how the Peshtigo firefighters might have fared with modern equipment and expertise. Fascinating. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

“Leschak is an acute observer with genuine affection for his material . . . a talented writer.” (—The New York Times Book Review)

“[Leschak] plunks us right down in the midst of the inferno, making us burst into sweat just reading about it.” (Booklist)

“[A] memoir of religious intensity and displaced belief.” (Wall Street Journal)

“...a walking testament to high-risk action.” (Chicago Sun-Times)

“Leschak does an excellent job of evoking both the terror and the majesty of a raging fire.” (The New Yorker)

About the Author

Peter M. Leschak has been a firefighter in both wildland and municipal settings for more than twenty years. He's the author of several acclaimed works of nonfiction, including Letters from Side Lake and The Bear Guardian, winner of the Minnesota Book Award. Leschak has written for numerous periodicals, including Harper's, the New York Times Magazine, the New York Times Book Review, and Outdoor Life.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07K8733ZM
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Distribution (November 27, 2018)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 27, 2018
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 961 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 233 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #625,920 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #265 in History of Midwestern U.S.
- #330 in Survival Biographies & Memoirs
- #656 in History of Mid-Atlantic U.S.

Customer Reviews:
4.3 43 ratings

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4.3 out of 5

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Jeremy

As advertised

Reviewed in the United States on April 1, 2023

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I was looking for first edition in good condition and book was as advertised and was exactly as I wanted.

Reviewed in the United States on June 4, 2013

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Although I may be biased because I have known Mr. Leschak for several years, I believe that reviewing a book is about perspective. Some of the negative reviews reflect readers who do not understand the wildland firefighter perspective, but were looking for a historical look at Peshtigo. The title of the book, I think, plainly describes the content, and I think it was very well written between stories of his life and the flashback to Peshtigo. His reflection on his experience with religion saddens me, but his search isn't over yet, and I look forward to other writings he may have in the future. If you are interested in firefighting, or are a firefighter, this book is right down your dozer line!

Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2019

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Read some of the comments before I bought. I have become a student of fire over the last few years, and really enjoyed this book. Author does wander between eras a lot, but if you stick with it all works out. I like reading about his transition from almost being a priest, to being able to quote Jung, and seeing the larger picture of wildfire.

2 people found this helpful

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R. Hallman

An excellent read, better than expected

Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2008

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I am a career firefighter who spent the better part of the 1980's fighting wildland fires. The topic of this book was inviting and it did not disappoint. Having read the book I decided to take a look at the reviews here on Amazon. The critical reviews strike me as odd. The book is criticized for being too descriptive and for using big words. In reference to this book this is like criticizing a car for having wheels and an engine. The other points of criticism is that the book is not a synopsis of the Peshtigo fire the reader was looking for and that Mr. Leschak devotes too much text to writing about himself. This book is exactly what the title implies. It is about Mr. Leschak's calling as a firefighter and he does echo events of the Peshtigo fire. Mr. Leschak wildland career came about mostly by chance. What he thought would be a temporary job became his calling. This is especially illustrated by contrast to his previous decision to pursue the ministry, a calling he later felt was not the right one.

Mr. Leschak finds in history an interesting character in the person of Father Pernin. Father Pernin was a man of the cloth who lived through the Peshtigo fire and wrote of his experiences. Leschak relates to Father Pernin no doubt in part because of the similarities in their callings. He uses his own experiences as a firefighter to echo and attempt understanding of the extraordinary events Father Pernin experienced. The author talks about his own experiences and progress by placing them in this larger environment. His use of descriptiveness is excellent.

The book will best be appreciated by a reader with a wildland background but I believe it is accessible and worthwhile to other readers as well. Mr. Leschak loves language and his use here is always appropriate. "Big" words are not that big and technical jargon is avoided. He simply writes with a literary approach. All semantics are implied by context but all good readers know that reading is about expanding one's horizons and a good dictionary should always be close at hand while reading any good book. I did write a few words down so I may later explore their broader application and I feel I am the better for it. Mr. Leschak is humble and never brags on himself. This is an excellent idea for a book and he executes it wonderfully. It is not a how to book and Waldo is not hiding anywhere here. This is literature, and good literature at that. I came to like Mr. Leschak from these pages and I am thankful for the stories he told me.

6 people found this helpful

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TERRI CREEDEN

Real life experience

Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2013

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Felt like I was there in the helicopter seeing the fire and situation.
Brought forth a forgotten and overshadowed fire.

One person found this helpful

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Jake White

Wonderful writing

Reviewed in the United States on December 14, 2018

Leschak writes beautifully. His introspective approach to wildland firefighting makes this an insightful and pleasant read. Having fought fires myself, I think I enjoyed it to an extra level.

Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2003

Verified Purchase

I was VERY disappointed with this book because it was recommended as a good account of the Peshtigo fire; yet, what the author actually had to say about this event could have fit into less than one chapter. I could not, however, justify giving it only one star as what he did say about the fire was interesting. This book would probably be read with great interest by those excited by helicopters and/or fighting wildfires as these are the real focuses of this book. Time after time, when I expected the author to really get into the Peshtigo fire, I was dismayed once again to find he once again goes into a long litany about himself which seems to be his true obsession. I got very tired of his self-praise and importance, his use of "big words" - as though to impress when plain language would have suited better, his over-emphasis on descriptive phrasing, and incomplete sentences! If you want to read about the Peshtigo fire, don't bother with this book.

7 people found this helpful

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Maeve Hanley

Easy read with historical nuggets

Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2016

Great book to take around during fire season. I recommend all my new guys/girls read this book. I really enjoyed it, it may not be as interesting for someone who isn't a WFF.

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