In short
The 1910 “Big Burn” wildfire in Idaho’s Coeur d’Alene National Forest, focusing on (1) firefighters trapped by a wind-driven inferno, (2) townspeople evacuating Wallace and Avery, and (3) the evacuation train’s near-disaster when a burning bridge threatens the route.
Guest backgrounds
No podcast guests are named in this transcript. It’s a dramatized narrative episode hosted by Mike Corey (writer Sam Keen).
Key claims
A violent windstorm merges small fires into a massive blaze; firefighters and rangers are trapped and shelter in a mining tunnel; Wallace’s evacuation is chaotic; the train carrying women and children is delayed and then forced to cross a burning bridge.
Notable examples
Ranger Ed Pulaski counts his crew, finds Richard Wood crushed by a fallen tree, and sacrifices his shirt to keep smoke out of a tunnel blanket; Emma Pulaski tries to board the train but is diverted to a mining dump; Chief Ranger Bill Weigel returns to a devastated town and learns crews are missing; Sergeant John James orders a risky train run after discovering the bridge is on fire.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOThe Firefighter's Dilemma
0:30 to 3:25
Meet ranger Ed Pulaski as he navigates a life-threatening fire scenario.
“Forest ranger Ed Pulaski pulls the damp gunny sack tight across his mouth.”
The Firefighter's Dilemma
3:38 to 4:26
Meet ranger Ed Pulaski as he navigates a life-threatening fire scenario.
“Peacock offer for Peacock Premium with ads currently$10.99 a month value.”
The Northern Inferno
4:26 to 5:02
Understand the catastrophic fire of August 20th, 1910 and its impact.
“From Wondery, I'm Mike Corey and this is Against the Odds.”
Emma's Race Against Time
5:02 to 8:04
Follow Emma Pulaski as she navigates chaos to save her daughter.
“soldiers and civic leaders prepared to evacuate the towns of Wallace and Avery.”
Desperate Shelter
8:04 to 10:00
Experience the panic in a root cellar during the raging inferno.
“She and Elsie will flee to the outskirts of town, to the bare rock mound of the old mining dump.”
Pulaski's Last Stand
10:00 to 14:00
Witness Ed Pulaski's urgent fight for survival as conditions worsen.
“But the other men in the cellar won't move.”
Pulaski's Desperate Attempt to Save His Crew
14:00 to 16:40
Witness Pulaski's struggle to keep his crew safe from the raging fire.
“water from the floor into his hat to splash the blanket.”
Emma and Elsie's Night of Fear
16:40 to 19:00
Explore Emma's poignant moments of fear and hope while waiting for her husband.
“Instead, he collapses onto the hot tunnel floor.”
Percy Stewart Awakens to Chaos
19:00 to 21:50
Percy discovers the grim aftermath of the fire and the fate of his comrades.
“He's never felt so groggy in his entire life.”
Chief Ranger Weigel's Dilemma
21:50 to 24:10
Follow Weigel as he assesses the damage and struggles with regret.
“The first thing he sees is the local brewery.”
Show all 16 chapters
Evacuation Orders Amid Rising Danger
24:10 to 26:53
Learn about the urgent evacuation efforts as the fire threatens the town.
“a half dozen miles from town, and it doesn't look like anyone else survived.”
Emma Returns to a Devastated Town
26:53 to 28:00
Join Emma as she searches for her home amidst the wreckage.
“Emma Pulaski trudges through the streets of Wallace as the first red rays of the sun start to streak the sky.”
Emma's Heart-Wrenching Discovery
28:00 to 29:55
Emma learns devastating news about her husband amidst the chaos of the fire.
“Emma turns the corner on her block and stops in her tracks.”
Private Green's Evacuation Efforts
29:56 to 33:48
Private Roy Green navigates the challenges of evacuating civilians from danger.
“Private Roy Green of the Buffalo Soldiers rits his teeth as he shuffles toward the train at the Avery Railroad Station.”
Ranger Ed Pulaski's Struggles
33:49 to 35:51
Ranger Ed Pulaski fights for survival while grappling with the loss of crew members.
“For some reason, his vision is blurry, but he can tell that there's light nearby.”
The Tension on the Evacuation Train
35:52 to 40:44
Sergeant James faces mounting stress as the evacuation train's situation worsens.
“Sergeant John James raises his voice and calls out to the women and children packed into the train car with him.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Emma Pulaski:Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of Against the Odds ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app. A listener note, Against the Odds uses dramatizations that are based on true events. Some elements, including dialogue, may be invented, but everything is based on research. This episode contains scenes that depict racist attitudes and language. Please be advised.
0:30Emma Pulaski:Forest ranger Ed Pulaski pulls the damp gunny sack tight across his mouth.
0:35Elsie Pulaski:The smoke in this narrow ravine is so thick he can taste it, leaving his throat raw as sandpaper.
0:41Emma Pulaski:It's the evening of August 20th, 1910, in the Coeur d 'Alene National Forest of Idaho. Sunset was a few hours ago, but the flames on the ridge above him cast everything into an eerie orange light. Behind Pulaski, the other 45 men in his firefighting crew are strung out in the line. Pulaski is guiding them down the ravine toward an old mining tunnel where they can take shelter, but their path is strewn with fallen trees and branches, blown down by the fierce winds. Pulaski glances up through the thick smoke and sees flames whipping across the slopes on either side of the ravine. He figures that they have five minutes, maybe less, to reach the tunnel before the fire.
1:24Emma Pulaski:overruns them. Pulaski swore he wouldn't leave anyone behind, especially not now when they're so close to shelter. So he calls over his shoulder to make sure everyone is accounted for.
1:38Ed Pulaski:Sound off! One, two, three, four.
1:43Elsie Pulaski:Beyond the number seven, Pulaski can't hear anything. There's too much noise from the fire. But a minute later, a message gets passed back up the line to his assistant, Percy Stewart, who shouts from directly behind him. There's only 44! Richard Wood! He's missing! Pulaski is stunned. Hold here. I'm gonna go back and look for him. He hurries along the line of men, counting again in case there was a mistake. But no, there are only 44 of them. He cups his hands and screams into the night.
2:15Ed Pulaski:Richard! Answer me! Richard! Richard!
2:20Elsie Pulaski:Every five yards, he stops and yells again, ignoring the pain in his throat. Richard! Richard! No response.
2:30Emma Pulaski:Pulaski pushes forward, continuing to call out Richard Wood's name. Finally, he sees something through the smoke. A fallen tree, right in the middle of the ravine. It's a giant pine, probably four feet thick,
2:43Elsie Pulaski:and sticking out from beneath it are Richard Wood's boots. Pulaski falls to his knees. The wind must have blown the tree over, crushing poor Richard. And in all the smoke and noise of the fire, none of the other men even heard or saw him die. A shower of embers brings Pulaski back to reality. He stands and turns back toward the tunnel. His responsibility now lies with those other 44 men. And if he's going to save them, he can't waste a single second. We are live from Fetty's house.
3:25Ed Pulaski:Hundreds gathered around the TV, all connected to reliable Wi-Fi from Xfinity. I'm Josie on a video call grilling the referee. Get reliable fiber-powered gig Wi-Fi with Peacock included to stream the beautiful game this summer. Xfinity, imagine that. Restrictions apply. New gig internet members only. Speeds vary. Use of fiber coaxial cable. Peacock offer for Peacock Premium with ads currently$10.99 a month value. Activation required to access content. Terms apply. Peacock must be activated within first 90 days. Manage existing subscriptions to avoid multiple charges. Third-party subscriptions continue until cancelled.
3:52Ed Pulaski:I heard a rumour that the CIA poisoned my granddad. Gordon Banks, the world's number one goalkeeper. It happened in Mexico, supposedly, at the World Cup in 1970. Sounds crazy? I'm an investigative journalist on the hunt for evidence. We needed to do some extraordinary things to counter the Isolians. This is Foul Play, an unbelievable tale of sports, spies and family secrets. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts or early and ad-free on Audible.
4:26From Wondery, I'm Mike Corey and this is Against the Odds.
4:39Emma Pulaski:On August 20th, 1910, a violent windstorm struck the Idaho Panhandle, whipping numerous small fires into a single, massive inferno. At its peak, it spanned an area the size of Connecticut. Teams of firefighters and forest rangers were trapped in the blaze and had to scramble to save their own lives. Meanwhile, with the fire closing in, soldiers and civic leaders prepared to evacuate the towns of Wallace and Avery. But it would soon become clear that they might not be able to get everyone to safety. This is Episode 3, Evacuations.
5:24Elsie Pulaski:Come on, hurry up!
5:27Emma Pulaski:Emma Pulaski hurries through downtown Wallace, weaving among the crowds. She's carrying a basket of food in one hand and pulling her eight-year-old daughter Elsie with the other. The girl seems catatonic, both terrified and exhausted. Emma knows they can't afford to lose any time. She leaves her basket on the ground and lifts up her daughter to carry her.
5:51Elsie Pulaski:Come on, Elsie. We've got a train to catch.
5:54Emma Pulaski:It's 9.30 p.m. Flaming embers are landing on rooftops, sparking small fires on some buildings. The townspeople are in a panic, clutching whatever items they couldn't bear to leave behind. One carries a pet parrot in a cage. Another, a sewing machine. Another, a painting in an ornate frame. Emma does her best to push past them and turns the corner for the train station. Unfortunately, carrying Elsie slows her down. By the time she reaches the station, there's a huge throng of people trying to board. And the train is short, just an engine and a few passenger cars. Not enough seats for everyone there.
6:36Emma Pulaski:Emma hears a soldier shouting above the din.
6:39Elsie Pulaski:Women and children only! All men need to step back now! But no one's paying attention to him. Nor to the dozens of other soldiers trying to control the crowd. Several times, as Emma presses forward, she gets shoved to the side. Beside her, a pregnant woman is knocked to the ground. Emma puts Elsie down to help the woman up. Just then, a giant explosion rips through the air. So loud it rattles Emma's teeth.
7:07Emma Pulaski:Elsie starts to cry. Someone shouts that the newspaper building a block away has just exploded. Emma remembers all those buckets of grease and cans of gasoline out front for the printing press. an accident waiting to happen. And now the neighboring buildings will surely catch fire too. The explosion only intensifies the urgency to get on the train. The press of bodies gives her a flutter of panic, but she tamps it down.
7:33Elsie Pulaski:She picks up Elsie again, then tries pushing forward, but the crowd is too thick. Then she sees two men near the train wrestling with a soldier over his rifle.
7:43Emma Pulaski:That settles it. She needs to get her daughter out of here, away from this mob. Besides, She has a bad feeling about this train. Even if they could get on board, who's to say the train won't be overtaken by fire somewhere down the tracks? Instead, she'll take her chances with the backup plan that she and her husband Ed discussed. She and Elsie will flee to the outskirts of town, to the bare rock mound of the old mining dump. There, away from the trees, she and Elsie will be safe from the inferno. At least, that's what she hopes.
8:22Elsie Pulaski:Come on, push in, push in, push in. There's no more room. I can't. Domenico Bruno closes his eyes and he takes a deep breath. He's trying to calm his roiling stomach, but it doesn't work. He just ends up inhaling more of the stench of sweaty bodies around him in this dank root cellar. He feels a horrible wave of nausea and the bile rising in his throat.
8:46Emma Pulaski:Dom and his friend Giacomo Viettoni have been huddling here for nearly an hour while the fire burns the Beauchamp homestead. But the cellar's just a few square yards, with a low ceiling and an entrance no bigger than a bicycle wheel. And they're packed in here with four other men from the firefighting crew, plus Beauchamp himself. Between the stink of their bodies and the punishing heat from outside, Dom doesn't know how much longer he can stand it.
9:17Elsie Pulaski:He whispers in Italian to his friend. I feel sick. I might lose my dinner. Don't. If you do, they'll kick us out. Do you want to be like that man out there? Help! Help! Somebody help! Dom cringes at the thought. Outside, the forest is being decimated as burning trees crash to the ground. Through the cacophony, they can hear the screams of one man trapped under a fallen tree. Dom knows if he goes outside, he will die. Still, though, this nausea is unrelenting. With every passing minute, he feels sicker. Finally, he can't stand it anymore. He starts pushing toward the entrance. Excuse me. I need some air.
10:05Elsie Pulaski:Excuse me. But the other men in the cellar won't move. One bumps Dom in the shoulder. Back off, little man. No, please, I'm gonna be ill. Please make way. Back off! The man shoves Dom, who slams into someone else. That man then shoves Dom back the other way. And then it happens. He vomits. What the hell? Did you just throw up on me, you little bastard? I'm so sorry. I just need some air. There's just enough firelight creeping into the cellar for Dom to see the man cocking his fist. He cowers and ducks, but Giacomo grabs the man's arm and twists it. Oh, goddammit. Come on, man.
10:46Ed Pulaski:Calm it down, boys. Calm it down. Did you just hit me? Hey, hey, hey, hey. What the hell?
10:52Elsie Pulaski:A scuffle breaks out in the tiny space, with everyone shoving everyone else. Dom finally snaps. He starts screaming at the top of his lungs, cursing them all in Italian. He feels deranged, but keeps screaming until Giacomo slaps a hand over his mouth. Hey, shut up! Shut up! What's that noise? Dom realizes that everyone is frozen, not because it is cursing. They're all looking towards the cellar entrance.
11:18Emma Pulaski:What's going on? Then he hears it too. Tree branch is snapping outside. They've heard this same noise a dozen other times, always followed by a crash when the entire tree falls. Only this time, the snapping noises are far louder. The tree must be right on top of them. In a flash, the two men nearest the exit try to bolt outside. But the hole is too small, and they get wedged in together.
11:46Elsie Pulaski:They squirm and swear, kicking their legs. The sound of cracking wood grows louder. Then something knocks dawn to the floor of the cellar. He tries to scream again, but dirt fills his mouth. He tries to take a breath, but can't. Something is crushing his chest. He can't move. He can't even breathe.
12:11Elsie Pulaski:Ranger Ed Pulaski strips off his shirt. Then he soaks the garment with the spring water trickling along the floor of the mining tunnel. When it's dripping wet, he creeps toward the entrance.
12:22Emma Pulaski:After Richard Wood was crushed to death, Pulaski guided the remaining 44 men through the forest to the tunnel, where they've been sheltering for the past half hour. There was even room for his horse Cherry Bell to squeeze inside. Her head is bowed because of the low ceiling, and they've wrapped a cloth around her eyes to blind her and to keep her calm. At first, the tunnel seemed like a godsend. It was 20 degrees cooler inside, and the air was free of the acrid smoke they'd been choking on. But with the inferno now roaring right outside, the temperature inside the tunnel has been rising quickly.
13:00Elsie Pulaski:It's slowly cooking them. Even worse, smoke is pouring inside. To keep it out, Pulaski draped a wet blanket over the mouth
13:09Emma Pulaski:of the tunnel, but the blanket's not big enough to block everything, so Pulaski is sacrificing his shirt. He shields his face from the blistering heat outside, but he manages to tuck one sleeve of his shirt behind a support beam over the mine's entrance. Then he ties the other sleeve to the blanket. Almost the whole entrance is covered now. Pulaski hustles back toward the rear of the tunnel and slumps down against a wall in exhaustion. But he only gets a few moments apiece. Although he did douse the blanket when he initially hung it over the entrance, the heat now has dried it out. And when an ember lands on it, the blanket catches on fire.
13:50Emma Pulaski:In seconds, a dime-sized burn hole opens up, and smoke starts trickling in again. Pulaski rises to his feet and dashes forward, scooping water from the floor into his hat to splash the blanket. He stops the one hole from getting bigger, but two others have opened up. He splashes those too, but more keep appearing. After a frantic minute, Pulaski has soaked the entire blanket again. It looks like someone fired buckshot at the thing. Smoke is now streaming through a half dozen separate holes.
14:24Elsie Pulaski:Pulaski curses. He should have thought to put someone on watch duty to keep the blanket wet. He's about to suggest this when he hears a voice behind him in the dark. I'm making a run for it. It's one of the younger firefighters. A wide-eyed kid no more than 18 years old. Pulaski tries to dissuade him. Son, Listen, I know you're scared, but it's far, far safer in here. No, no, no, no. I'm not going to die in here like a trapped animal. I'm going to take my chances out there. We'll burn alive. We cannot stay. I think the kid is right. Now the other men pipe up. They all want to make a break for it, too.
15:01Elsie Pulaski:The young firefighter darts forward. Pulaski does not hesitate. In a flash, his gun is out of the holster. He levels it at the kid, who freezes. Pulaski looks him square in the eye. I will personally shoot any man who passes me. Out of mercy, I felt the heat outside that tunnel entrance. You go out there, you will die a horrible death. Pulaski cocks his gun to show that he is not bluffing. When no one moves, he calls out to Percy Stewart. Percy, get everyone lying face down on the ground.
15:38Emma Pulaski:The air is best there. I'll keep the blanket and shirt wet. As Percy gets everyone settled, Pulaski heads back toward the entrance. He crouches low himself and gets as close as the heat will let him. He takes hatful after hatful of water and douses the blanket.
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15:55Elsie Pulaski:But no matter how fast he works, he's losing this battle. The fire outside is simply too intense. Within ten minutes, the dime-sized holes have grown into saucers and dinner plates. Pulaski's shirt catches fire too. Eventually, so much of the blanket is burned that pieces of it start dropping off. Pulaski keeps flinging water at it, ignoring the pain in his lungs from the smoke. Soon, the pain spreads to his hands. He can see blisters forming on them from the heat. Still, he keeps splashing water. But after one last splash, his head starts to swim. The world begins spinning around faster and faster.
16:35Elsie Pulaski:He bends over to get more water, but finds that he can't sit up again.
16:40Emma Pulaski:Instead, he collapses onto the hot tunnel floor.
16:50Emma Pulaski:Emma Pulaski pulls her daughter Elsie close and strokes her hair reassuringly.
16:56Elsie Pulaski:We're gonna be okay, sweetie.
16:58Emma Pulaski:Just try to get some sleep from me, okay? It's now 2 a.m. on August 21st. Emma and Elsie are sitting atop a wide mound of bare rock on the outskirts of Wallace, an acre of leftover debris from old mining operations. Bare rock won't burn, so they're safe from the wildfire here. A half dozen other townspeople are also scattered across the rocks. From this height, they can look out at the town. The ridgelines above Wallace are all ablaze, and several buildings in town are on fire too. Emma can't tell if the fire has reached her family's neighborhood or not, but there's nothing she could do if it has, so she just tries not to think about it.
17:43Emma Pulaski:Ironically, despite the surrounding fire, the gusts of wind and the night air have left Emma and Elsie shivering. Elsie keeps complaining about being hungry as well. Emma feels the same. She wishes she hadn't discarded the basket of food on the way to the train station earlier. Elsie looks up at Emma. Is Daddy ever coming home again? Emma's throat clenches. She's glad it's dark out, so her daughter can't see the tears welling in her eyes. She takes a long moment to answer, until she's sure her voice won't crack. Daddy's doing everything he can to protect us, okay? Let's pray for him, shall we?
18:26Emma Pulaski:Elsie agrees and begins murmuring under her breath. Emma pulls her close again. She's never been especially religious herself, but needs some consolation now. She solemnly closes her eyes and begs God to keep her husband safe.
18:59Emma Pulaski:Percy Stewart flutters his eyes open as he wakes up on the floor of the mining tunnel.
19:05Elsie Pulaski:He's never felt so groggy in his entire life. It's like he's been drugged. Every breath rakes his chest. Every joint aches too.
19:18Emma Pulaski:Even sitting up is a massive struggle. It feels like someone split his skull with an axe. He turns toward the tunnel entrance. Once silhouetted there, he can see the charred remains of the blanket flapping in the wind.
19:32Elsie Pulaski:He has no idea how long he's been out, but it's still dark out, so it must be the middle of the night. He can't see much inside the tunnel, but what he can make out looks grim.
19:43Emma Pulaski:There are bodies sprawled everywhere on the floor.
19:46Elsie Pulaski:Not one of them is stirring. Percy nudges the man to his left. Joe, Joe, wake up, man. Can you hear me? Joe doesn't respond. Percy nudges the man on his other side too, a fellow whose name he doesn't remember. That man doesn't stir either. He wonders where his boss Ed Pulaski is among this array of bodies. With a groan, Percy uses his hands to get to his knees, then grips a nub of rock on the wall to pull himself up. He stands, coughing, then starts limping toward the tunnel's exit. to see what's left of the outside world.
20:37Elsie Pulaski:Chief Ranger Bill Weigel stumbles down the forest trail toward Wallace. He's exhausted and covered in burns, but somehow he's still alive.
20:48Emma Pulaski:He comes to a spot overlooking the town. He figures it's about 2 a.m., still hours till daylight. He drops onto a charred log to rest and surveys the scene illuminated by the firelight.
21:02Elsie Pulaski:A good third of Wallace has burned, or is still in flames. The scene is apocalyptic. Weigel guesses that at least a hundred buildings have been lost. Seeing all this, he feels a sting of shame. That detour to Speedy Swift's homestead was reckless, and it was stupid. Why did he abandon his duty to the town? How many people died because he didn't make it back? Weigel still can't believe that he survived.
21:32Emma Pulaski:He runs his fingers over the blistering burns on his neck and his hands and touches the crinkly patch where his hair burned away on his scalp. During the worst of the fire, it felt like his flesh was roasting on a spit.
21:49Elsie Pulaski:Now he rises from the log and resumes limping toward Wallace. He finally reaches the town. The first thing he sees is the local brewery.
22:00Emma Pulaski:Flames are shooting into the night sky through its roof, and a stream of beer runs down the street from its entrance. He passes a row of charred homes with broken windows, and can hear shouts and songs from inside some of them.
22:15Elsie Pulaski:Other houses stand seemingly untouched, but with their doors flung wide open, people evacuated so quickly that they didn't even close them. Weigel staggers into the forestry station. He didn't realize how exhausted he was until now. He lifts a hand to the wall to support himself. Looks of shock flash across the faces of all three assistant rangers before they jump up to help him. One grabs him a chair, which he gratefully accepts.
22:46Emma Pulaski:They ask what happened to him, but he waves off their questions and asks for an update on the town. He's relieved to hear that a train took off for Missoula, Montana, with hundreds of women and children on board. But beyond this, the assistant rangers have no information. They don't know where Ed Pulaski is or any of the other ranger crews. They haven't heard anything from the soldiers sent to protect the town of Avery. He realizes that in his absence, everything has devolved into chaos.
23:17Elsie Pulaski:One of the assistant rangers looks at Weigel sheepishly. May we have permission to evacuate, sir? The fire from the newspaper building is spreading. It could reach us here any minute. Not yet. First, send a message to the headquarters in Missoula. Tell them that all our crews are missing and we're in urgent need of more men. The assistant ranger hurries to the telegraph to tap out Weigel's message. Just then, the door of the station swings open. A soot-streaked figure lurches inside. It takes Weigel a long moment to recognize him. Percy Stewart. The rangers scramble to get him a chair and a pitcher of water.
23:56Elsie Pulaski:Percy slumps down, glassy-eyed and exhausted. Weigel asks him where he's coming from. He has to lean in close to make out Percy's scratchy voice. What he says leaves Weigel stunned.
24:09Emma Pulaski:Percy says that he was with Ed Pulaski's crew when they got trapped in a mining tunnel a half dozen miles from town, and it doesn't look like anyone else survived.
24:33Emma Pulaski:Sergeant John James of the Buffalo Soldiers yawns and stretches his legs as he paces around his Company's campsite on the outskirts of Avery. It's just before dawn, around 5.30 a.m. James and his men are up even earlier than usual to face another punishing day of digging and chopping trees. They are exhausted, but making solid progress in building a firebreak. While his men wolf down their breakfast, he scans the ridges around Avery. The haze from the wildfires is turning the pre-dawn sky into a vivid shade of red. It's actually quite gorgeous. But then, something even more striking catches James' attention.
25:16Emma Pulaski:From where he's standing, he can see several trails leading down from the ridges above town, and despite the early hour, they're full of people, and their numbers seem to be growing by the minute. The past few days, he's seen the odd miner or prospector on the trails, but nothing like this. There are dozens of people, and they're all moving like they're in a hurry. James hears a horse approaching and turns to see his company's commanding officer, Lieutenant Edson Lewis, galloping up. Lewis yanks on the reins to stop just short of James.
25:48Elsie Pulaski:Good morning, Sergeant. Gather up your men. We're being pulled off the fire brakes. Uh, yes, sir. But may I ask why? We've been doing some great work here. No, it's not that. It's the fire. It grew too big last night. The winds have shifted too, from south to north.
26:04Emma Pulaski:James glances back over at the people streaming down the trails. They must be fleeing from the fires. He turns back to Louis. I see. So what's our assignment now? Evacuating women and children onto the train. We can do that, sir. What time is the train scheduled to leave? 6.30 a.m.
26:21Elsie Pulaski:James starts in surprise. Sir, that's in less than an hour. Yes, I know. I'm going to sound the alarm right now and wake everyone up. Lewis spurs his horse and takes off.
26:33Emma Pulaski:James watches him ride for a moment, then about faces and starts to assemble his men. He wants them at the train station as soon as possible, because he fears that this evacuation will be utter mayhem.
26:53Emma Pulaski:Emma Pulaski trudges through the streets of Wallace as the first red rays of the sun start to streak the sky. She's carrying her daughter again. Elsie's head rests on Emma's shoulder. Emma has never endured a more miserable night. She and Elsie sat and shivered for hours, exposed on the rocky mining debris on the outskirts of town. They finally fell asleep at around 3 a.m. with Elsie lying in Emma's lap. Emma slept sitting up, her back pressed against the boulder.
27:24Elsie Pulaski:The sight of downtown leaves her full of despair. Several blocks have been gutted by fire, with building after building transformed into piles of charred rubble. On the few structures that remain standing, scorch marks streak the paint,
27:39Emma Pulaski:and broken window panes that popped out in the heat lie shattered on the ground. As they draw near their street, Emma squeezes Elsie so tight that the girl protests. Emma apologizes, but her anxiety remains high. Their home was nestled against some trees at the base of the mountain, and while some of the forest around Wallace still is intact, most of it has burned down. Emma turns the corner on her block and stops in her tracks. Miraculously, her house is still standing. Emma is stunned at their good fortune. Aside from a coating of ash, it's untouched. For some reason, though, there is a crowd of people gathered in front of her home, and when she approaches, they suddenly fall quiet.
28:24Emma Pulaski:They're all staring at her. Emma feels her heart starting to race. What's going on? Why are you all here?
28:32Elsie Pulaski:A neighbor steps forward and offers to take Elsie and get her into bed. The girl barely manages to stand upright as she totters up the stairs.
28:41Emma Pulaski:With her daughter out of earshot, Emma again demands to know what's going on. Her friend Mary Henderson steps forward. Some of Ed's crew returned from the forest a few hours ago, or at least one man did.
28:55Elsie Pulaski:Okay, what did he say? Did something happen? We don't know. We don't know anything for sure. He was half delirious. Mary, what are you saying? Just tell me.
29:06Emma Pulaski:Mary bites her lip and looks away. It looks like the man who returned, he might be the only one who made it. Emma's stomach craters inside of her It can't be true It can't
29:23Elsie Pulaski:She turns to the other neighbors Pleading with her eyes for a denial or a bit of reassurance But they all look away She looks up at the house The one Ed built for her with his own hands
29:34Emma Pulaski:And can't believe that she might never see her husband again
29:56Emma Pulaski:Private Roy Green of the Buffalo Soldiers rits his teeth as he shuffles toward the train at the Avery Railroad Station. He's lugging a 10-gallon bucket of water in each hand. It's only 6 a.m., and he's already made five trips back and forth to the nearby well pump. He can feel his muscles shaking. It's a heck of a way to start a morning. At the evacuation train, he mounts the steps and enters a car. The train is packed full of women and children, half of them crying from fright and fatigue. Green shuffles down the aisle between the seats, headed for an open space at the end of the car where passengers normally store luggage.
30:35Emma Pulaski:Today, though, no one is allowed to bring more than what they can carry in their lap. Instead, they're using the luggage space for water, for people to drink and splash on their faces on the trip. It's likely to be a roasting hot day. And although the soldiers haven't told the evacuees this, there's always a chance they'll get trapped in the fire on the way to Missoula. And if so, they can soak their clothes to help them survive. Green sets two buckets down, then ducks his head out the nearest door and scans the crowd until he spots Sergeant James.
31:07Elsie Pulaski:Sarge, that's a dozen buckets, like you said. What should I do next? Go around and make sure all the windows are locked tight. We don't want any smoke or any burning embers getting inside.
31:17Emma Pulaski:Green heads back into the car and he starts shutting windows. This proves to be an unpopular task. Several women are hanging out the windows next to their bench seats, talking to their husbands. They complain when Green interrupts and shuts the windows. He has to gently pull a few back by the arm, which earns him a rebuke about touching white women. He ignores it. Green finishes one car and starts on the next, but halfway down, he sees the toe of a man's boot sticking out from underneath one of the benches. Green asks the women on the bench to stand. He ducks down and sees someone hiding under there.
31:54Elsie Pulaski:The man grimaces and reveals a row of gold teeth. Green points to the door. Sir, you'll have to leave. This train is for women and children only.
32:04Emma Pulaski:In response, the man digs into his pocket. His hand emerges with$200 bills. He holds them out. If you let it slide, these are yours. Green stares hard at the cash. That's most of a year's pay, and it's just one man he'd be letting through.
32:22Elsie Pulaski:But after a long moment, he shakes his head. No, sir. I can't allow it. You're gonna have to leave. The miner's demeanor changes in a flash, from friendly to scowling. I ain't getting kicked off this train by someone like you.
32:37Emma Pulaski:The man hurls racist insults, and Green is tempted to seize him by the collar and drag him off by force, but he doesn't want to risk a brawl that could injure any women or children. Green heads to the door instead. He whistles for a soldier nearby holding a rifle. The man hops up the steps onto the train, and Green explains the situation.
32:58Elsie Pulaski:They head back to the bench, and the other private bangs on it with his rifle butt. Listen, sir, you're leaving this train one way or the other, either on your own two feet or on the tip of my bayonet. It's your choice. The man slinks out, still cursing.
33:13Emma Pulaski:He knocks shoulders with Green as he passes and he spits on the floor. Green sighs and watches the other private escort the man off. Then he continues locking up the windows and enduring complaints, all the while thinking of the many things he might have done with$200.
33:38Emma Pulaski:Ranger Ed Pulaski coughs as his eyes blink open. He feels a sharp pain in his chest, as if someone stabbed him with scissors. His head feels even worse, like it's being crushed inside a vice. For some reason, his vision is blurry, but he can tell that there's light nearby. It must be dawn, and he can sense movement around him. He retreats back into his own mind and tries to remember where he is and how he got here. It takes a minute, but with great effort, he starts to piece together details. He remembers scrambling through a ravine and into this mining tunnel, narrowly escaping the worst fire that he's ever seen.
34:22Emma Pulaski:He knows he lost one man on his crew, but has no idea how many others are alive or dead.
34:28Elsie Pulaski:I think he didn't make it. Who else? Any more casualties?
34:32Emma Pulaski:Pulaski realizes that the movement nearby must be from those men. They're talking in hushed tones, and finally their words penetrate his mind.
34:41Elsie Pulaski:I can't believe it. Are you sure? Yeah, I checked on him just now. He didn't make it. Pulaski winces and sympathizes. Another man is dead. It's a terrible thing. Another beat passes before he realizes that they're talking about him. The thought sends a surge of adrenaline through him. He's suddenly aware of the rest of his body. He's lying face down in the tunnel, his mouth and nose pressed against the cold, wet floor. Pulaski manages to turn his neck and can finally get enough air. He takes several deep breaths and his thoughts clear up immediately, like he's being jolted awake with electricity.
35:21Elsie Pulaski:It's painful, but he proceeds to sit up. He turns toward where the men are gathered at the tunnel entrance. Everything still looks fuzzy, but he can hear the same man talking. I still can't believe the boss is dead. Like hell I'm dead! The men jump, startled. A few rush forward to help him to his feet, but he waves them off. He's determined to rise under his own power.
35:45Emma Pulaski:His mission isn't over yet. He's got to get all the survivors safely back to town.
35:57Elsie Pulaski:Sergeant John James raises his voice and calls out to the women and children packed into the train car with him. Everyone, everyone, please remain calm. The train will be moving again soon. A woman who's flush red and fanning herself with a newspaper scowls at him. You said that five minutes ago. I'm going to pass out in this heat. What's wrong? Ma 'am, nothing is wrong. It's just a momentary delay. James hopes the passengers believe him, because the truth is, he's worried something is wrong.
36:27Emma Pulaski:He has no idea why this evacuation train is stopped. It's just after 7am, roughly 10 miles east of Avery. James' lieutenant ordered him to stay aboard the train, along with a dozen soldiers, to make sure all the women and children got to safety. James is sitting in the final car, the caboose, but for some reason, the train has braked to a halt, and they've been sitting idle here ever since. The delay is all the worse because of where they've stopped. On a section of track carved through an outcropping of granite, two walls of bare rock lie on either side. The forest around the outcropping seems to just have been burned a few hours ago and the walls have retained the heat.
37:09Emma Pulaski:The sun is starting to warm the day as well and the windows in the train are all locked tight. As a result, the cars and the people inside are baking like a loaf of bread. James decides to grab one of the 10-gallon buckets of water, and he starts making his way down the aisle. He has his standard-issue army tin cup on him, and he offers the women and children a drink. A few thank him and sip the warm water, but several refuse, even though they look parched. Why they refuse, James can guess. They won't sip water from the same cup that a black man used. Suddenly, one woman faints, slumping from her seat onto the floor.
37:53Emma Pulaski:James puts the bucket down and rushes over. She's breathing, but she's half delirious. Behind him, the woman who's fanning herself speaks up again.
38:01Elsie Pulaski:I have to get off this train. I can't stand this heat anymore. She rises and heads toward the door. James bolts after her and grabs her arm. Ma 'am, ma 'am, I can't let you go out there. You'll be left behind. Let go of me! Hey, the ranger warned us. The fire could still sweep back through. Not all the trees out there are completely burned. Unfortunately, the woman has started a rebellion. Other women rise and demand to leave as well.
38:27Emma Pulaski:They say that they can't breathe. Someone even knocks over the bucket James left in the aisle, spilling the precious water. Luckily, the soldiers in the next car overhear the commotion and rush in to get the women back in their seats. James is relieved, but he knows they probably won't stay quiet for long. He leaves his men in charge and heads toward the front of the train to see what the delay is.
38:50Elsie Pulaski:He passes through three cars on the way, nodding at the women and children to provide encouragement. Then he pounds on the door of the engine car. Hey, what's the holdup? We have women fainting back here. The engineer lets him in and points straight ahead, up the tracks. James peers through the window. Through the smoky haze, he can see a gorge ahead and a wooden bridge that spans across it. Yarned, the bridge is on fire. Many of the support beams are scorched black, and the flames lick at the track bed. James looks back at the engineer. Good lord. How deep is the gorge? Can we cross on foot? No, no, it's a hundred feet deep.
39:32Elsie Pulaski:Sheer walls leading down. Do we know how long the bridge has been burning? Will it hold us? No idea. I sent my assistant ahead to look it over. Here he comes now. The assistant jogs up and climbs into the engine car. He says he couldn't get close enough to learn much. The bridge looks like it's still sturdy, but he has no way of knowing for sure. The engineer looks at James. What do you think? Should we reverse and head back to Avery? No, no, no. I think Avery is doomed. There's too much unburned forest surrounding it. The engineer glances at the bridge and swallows. Listen, if I was alone, I'd risk it, but ultimately, I'm not the one responsible for all those people back there.
40:16Elsie Pulaski:What do you think? James takes a long moment to answer, weighing the risks. At best, they're in for a hell of a scare. At worst, if the bridge is weaker than it seems, they'll plunge to their deaths. But if they stay put or retreat, the fire could kill them. It's a hard decision. He finally speaks. I say we make a run for it, and we do it fast, because every second we sit here, the bridge only gets weaker. The engineer nods. He jumps over to the controls and gets the train moving again. James doubles back through the train cars.
40:49Emma Pulaski:He's got to get everyone seated and secure. He's also got to figure out what, if anything, to tell the passengers. He just hopes he's making the right decision, and not condemning everyone on this train to a horrible death.
41:11Emma Pulaski:Follow Against the Odds on the Audible app or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen to all episodes of Against the Odds ad-free by joining Audible.
41:24Emma Pulaski:This is the third episode of our four-part series, The Big Burn. A quick note about our scenes. In most cases, we can't exactly know what was said, but everything is based on historical research. If you'd like to learn more about this event, we recommend the books The Big Burn by Timothy Egan, Year of the Fires by Stephen Pyne, and When the Mountains Roared by the U.S. Forest Service. I'm your host, Mike Corey. Sam Keen wrote this episode. Our editor is Steve Fennessy. Sound design by Joe Richardson. Audio engineer is Sergio Enriquez. Original theme music by Scott Velasquez and 2K for Freeze and Sync.
42:04Emma Pulaski:Fact checking by Alyssa Junkperry. Produced by Emily Frost. Managing producer is Desi Blaylock. Senior managing producer is Callum Plews. Senior producer is Andy Herman. Executive producers are Jenny Lauer-Beckman, Stephanie Jens, Marshall Louis, and Aaron O 'Flaherty. For Wondery.
From the publisher
As teams of firefighters and forest rangers find themselves trapped by the megafire and unable to help, residents of Wallace and Avery prepare to evacuate. While Ed Pulaski and his crew take shelter in an old mining tunnel, Ed’s wife Emma decides to flee with their daughter Elsie to an old mining dump on the outskirts of town, hoping she’s made the right decision.
Order your copy of the new Against the Odds book, How to Survive Against the Odds: Tales & Tips for Animal Attacks and Natural Disasters, for stories of everyday people confronted by life-or-death situations, showing you how they survived—and how you can too. Learn more at SurvivalGuidebook.com.
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