Another Look at the Weather Factors Related to the 1949 Mann Gulch Fire

Much speculation surrounds the weather conditions related to the tragic Mann Gulch Fire which took the lives of 13 firefighters on the afternoon of August 5, 1949. More recent fatality fires (1990 and 1994) has heightened interest in the relationship of weather and extreme fire behavior. Records from witnesses often provide key information from which weather conditions can be deduced. Although witnesses are generally reliable, the interpretation of their accounts are often laced with speculation. Until recently, witness statements were the only source of weather information for the Mann Gulch Fire. In 1953, Mr. Wilbert Krumm, Fire Weather Meteorologist in Missoula, MT, drafted a paper on the meteorological conditions related to the "blow-up" conditions at Mann Gulch on that fateful day. Mr. Krumm's paper was reviewed but never published, and has recently been discovered by the author. This paper reviews Mr. Krumm's hypotheses and conclusions with the hope of finally providing a clearer view of the meteorological events on August 5, 1949.