The Fire Line

The Story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots

By: Fernanda Santos

Narrated by: Ari Fliakos

“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 20 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.

©2016 Fernanda Santos (P)2016 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"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)

touching

heartfelt story. i didnt know a single one of these gentlemen but by the end i felt that i had lost 19 brothers!!

Heartbreaking!

Where does The Fire Line rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Excellent story - flows well, and the narration is great.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I live in Gilbert, AZ and remember still how this fire affected our whole state. This is a tragic story, and heartbreaking but also what a wonderful tribute to the fallen Hotshots.

An Encompassing, Emotional and Fact-Packed Overview of the Yarnell Fire Accident

This book is not only for those in search for reliable and accurate information regarding the Yarnell Hill accident, but for anyone in need of inspiration, perspective, and an excellent audiobook.

Fernanda Santos is a skilled and gifted author and reporter, who did extensive in loco research, right after the Yarnell Hill accident, while the fire was still raging. She personally interviewed all persons involved in and affected by the accident.

This book truly is a work of love, but also a very professional and sober one, with lots of lessons here for everyday's life.

Amazingly Told Story of Heroism and Loss:

The heartbreak for me after listening can be but a mere fraction for those that lived this modern day story of loss and grief. This story of optimistic young lives snuffed out as quick as they seem to start is weaved seamlessly with the selfish human actions at the root cause of these fires. This book will make you feel the hope of achievement, as well as the heartbreak of young people dying for a cause. Anger also is a strong emotion elicited by this book, as we are shown a mirror for our own egotism despite the ecological warnings. Very powerful and will leave you walking with a sick feeling of loss--though this lesson is one that needs to be felt.

Tragic Story That Needed Telling

I have to be honest, I had never heard of this author before stumbling across this book in the Audible store. But the book was fantastic. It reminded me of Sebastian Junger's work. Fernanda's ability to intertwine technical data while telling a compelling story was outstanding. It was obvious she busted her *ss researching this story. Rest In Peace to the heroes of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. Thank you Fernanda for telling their tale!

Exellent

This story is well -told and lets the listener make up their own minds. I believe there is more to it and am interested in knowing more, but this book tells the human side of it.

Must read (listen)

This book holds your attention all the way to the end. I learned so much about the incident that took so many lives.

Beautiful, heartbreaking, well-researched

This is a detailed, beautifully written, heartbreaking (yet inspiring) true story. I listened to the entire book in one evening.

A MUST READ. Raw and engaging.

If you could sum up The Fire Line in three words, what would they be?

Laugh, cry, hope.

What did you like best about this story?

Raw and unfiltered, this book will capture your attention and pull at your heart strings.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

This book offers moments of laughter, sorrow, hope, and excitement.

Any additional comments?

This story is close to my heart. I lost my first husband in a fire. Now I'm married to a firefighter. I know all too well the love and loss the mystical being of fire can bring.

Superb

Absolutely beautifullly written with love and the utmost in excellent journalism. Above and beyond. Her writing is peerless.