It was the worst of the worst. Good young men. Running for their lives. Nowhere to hide. The fire was relentless.
This month marks the 83rd memorial anniversary of the worst forest fire disaster in Wyoming history when it comes to loss of firefighter lives.
In an obscure and difficult place to reach called Blackwater, a group of forest rangers and Civilian Conservation Corps firefighters lost their lives on Aug. 21, 1937.
Lightning started the fire that burned some 1,700 acres in the Shoshone National Forest west of Cody.
Although the fire began on Aug. 18, it slept and was not detected until two days later. Some 58 men were deployed in the area.
A weather event called a “dry cold front” was instrumental in the fire blowing up and engulfing the crew that died. Nine men perished immediately and another six died later of their horrific burns.