Public Libraries of Suffolk County, New York

Granite Mountain, the firsthand account of a tragic wildfire, its lone survivor, and the firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice, Brendan McDonough, with Stephan Talty

eng

contains biographical information

illustrations

no index present

non fiction

Granite Mountain

electronic resource eBook

dictionaries

Brendan McDonough, with Stephan Talty

the firsthand account of a tragic wildfire, its lone survivor, and the firefighters who made the ultimate sacrifice

"Brendan McDonough was on the verge of becoming a hopeless, inveterate heroin addict when he, for the sake of his young daughter, decided to turn his life around. He enlisted in the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a team of elite firefighters based in Prescott, Arizona. Their leader, Eric Marsh, was in a desperate crunch after four hotshots left the unit, and perhaps seeing a glimmer of promise in the skinny would-be recruit, he took a chance on the unlikely McDonough, and the chance paid off. Despite the crew's skepticism, and thanks in large part to Marsh's firm but loving encouragement, McDonough unlocked a latent drive and dedication, going on to successfully battle a number of blazes and eventually win the confidence of the men he came to call his brothers. Then, on June 30, 2013, while McDonough--"Donut" as he'd been dubbed by his team--served as lookout, they confronted a freak, 3,000-degree inferno in nearby Yarnell, Arizona. The relentless firestorm ultimately trapped his hotshot brothers, tragically killing all 19 of them within minutes. A harrowing and redemptive tale of resilience in the face of tragedy, Granite Mountain is also a powerful reminder of the heroism of the people who put themselves in harm's way to protect us every day."--, Back cover