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A nonfiction story written about the fire that took over Stormking Mountain in Glenwood Springs,Colorado in July 1994. This Inferno took the lives of 14 men and women Firefighters on July 6th. It started off as a small tree struck by lightning on July 2nd and turned into a life threatening fire by July 6th. This book will be based on facts gathered by the survivors statements,and other resources surrounding the tragedy.
We would like to thank all of our friends for being there when writing this book.
Copywrite TXu 858-918
Authors: Linda & Ron Pascucci
Introduction
It was the summer of 1994. The media and most public attention became transfixed and mesmerized by a certain Los Angeles sports figure and his trials and tribulations.
On a remote mountainside in Western Colorado,there are firefighters battling the forces of nature, wind and fire. The extreme drought and abundant vegetation and the mountain itself it would become a battle they would not(could not)win.
More than fifty books,and countless interviews and television shows were dedicated to the O.J. Experience. Only a handful of books and the like are about the selfless and dedicated individuals who would lose their lives on Storm King Mountain and the ones who would survive it. This would become one of the deadliest disasters in modern fire fighting history.
This under publicized event of nature and subsequent tragedy was in deed an extraordinary one. This was an event in need of little embellishment,or pretense. This was real, all too real.
There was everything present on that mountain,for a few days in July. Selfless acts of bravery,the human will to survive ironic twists of fate and more. This was human drama in all its aspects.
Although more than 5 years old,Storm King is fast becoming a timeless enigma. There has been much speculation by so called experts. Now with more guilt,blame and second-guessing of the survivors and those who perished on the mountain? The experts how can they know? Were they up there? The stress,the fear and the panic of the firefighters felt must have been enormous when things went bad and the firestorm turned on them.
What went wrong? Logistics? Not enough individuals or equipment. The leadership, decision breakdowns,a "Can Do" and go direct attitude of many of the firefighters, perhaps some of these things, perhaps none of them.
Most of the government agencies,officials and the like,put the prior investigations in terms of black and white,good and bad,right and wrong. When nature is concerned, there is a gray or unknown area. After all,this was a lightning started fire. It is to this end that we write this book.
When we left on our vacation in early July of 94,we did so with no premonitions or preconceived ideas. We are not naturalists or conservationists. Perhaps we were the perfect guinea pigs to be part of the extraordinary sequence of events yet to unfold. The problem was how can a personal experience be part of such a historical and tragic event. We discovered it was not easy linking the two,coming to the realization the two were part of the same story. Much growing,consciously,and sole searching would ensue over the next few years.
We wanted to write a factual story based on government reports,newspaper articles, and interviews. With time certain other facts and revelations have come to light,which we tried to include. Perhaps we have some insight because we were there before, during and after.
Storm King Mountain itself is shrouded in mystery and history. It is a timeless place unchanged for many, many years. Still criss crossed with game trails,the Ute Indians probably knew the mountain well,or avoided it altogether. It is steep and rocky with hidden danger,flash floods,land and mudslide,fires and more.
Two steep and narrow canyons or drainage's run to the South and East,with a saddle or ridge separating the two,that sit below Storm King. The saddles connect Storm King with a 2,000-foot knoll that is a ¼ mile to the South. This knoll towers over highway I-70. This was the point of origin and inception where the fire got its spark.
The mountain already has a reputation with the local people of Glenwood Springs. "Storm King Mountain creates it's own weather,its own storms," one local resident said. The mountain is in the middle of our country and the prevailing westerly winds.
Doubtless to say,the mountain and the people who live near have seen their share of strange and violent mountain storms over the years. No storm was as strange,violent or full of intent as the one we witnessed on the afternoon of July 2nd,1994. The mountain would add to its reputation albeit a dark one. There are places on this earth that are strongholds of nature,this is her realm and we are subject to and at the mercy of her will,her whims. Storm King Mountain is such a place. Timeless,rugged and undaunted.
The Legacy, The Lesson continues…
Ron and Linda Pascucci:
Ron Pascucci:
Ron was born in Chicago. He then moved to Boulder Colorado for 10 years and then he moved to Phoenix, Arizona in his high school years. After getting married to Linda, they then moved to Las Vegas, Nevada. To him living in Boulder was like a dream, close to nature and God. His family lived in a trailer. "At first we were poor, but didn't know it.
We were surrounded by such great natural beauty, everywhere. It was some of the simplest and happiest times of my life, "Ron said. He went on to exclaim, "I was thrown out of my English 101 Class in College, but I feel I write from experience and from the heart. Perhaps you be the judge of that. Storm King was just an interesting and tragic documentary without some level of human understanding as to what happened there. Maybe we were about that!"
Linda Pascucci:
Linda (Rhodes-Duer) in her early years was living in Alexandria, Virginia. She then moved to Phoenix, Arizona. And after marrying Ron moved onto Las Vegas, Nevada. She is the mother of two children Tonia Palomarez & Jeffrey Duer. She has two grandchildren Kelsey and Nicolas.
"Ron decided to take me to his childhood home in Boulder in July of 94. We decided to stop at Glenwood Springs for a couple of days. I had just decided to video the area. Ron was lying on the bed in the cabin reading the football magazines and I was outside enjoying the scenery when the storm suddenly came into town. I thought to myself, how beautiful this was the lightening.,the sounds and then the hard pouring rain. How were we ever to know the tragedy this storm would have caused in the end?
We later felt an inspiration and sadness over the film later when we slowed down the film and viewed the strike that caused such sadness in many peoples lives."
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