Ghosts of the Fireground: Echoes of the Great Peshtigo Fire and the Calling of a Wildland Firefighter

by Peter M. Leschak

A firefighter's remarkable first–hand account of the lessons of tragedy, courage and faith in the epic struggle between man and fire.

In April of 2000, on the brink of one of the most ferocious fire seasons ever recorded, Peter Leschak discovers the diary of Father Pernin, one of the few survivors of a wildfire that hit Peshtigo, Wisconsin, in 1871. Throughout this harrowing summer, Leschak takes us through Pernin's dangerous clash with the Great Peshtigo Fire while reflecting on his own journey from the ministry to fireground leader. In so doing, Leschak captures the sacred and mysterious pull of the fireground and breathes life into one of the most astounding and little–known disasters to ever hit this country.

Ghosts of the Fireground weaves seamlessly between Father Pernin's struggle with an inferno so hot that not even the Peshtigo River guaranteed safety to Peter Leschak's breathtaking frontline battles 130 years later, offering a compelling look at the courageous and noble pursuit that is wildland firefighting.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

288 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2002

Reviews

[Sam Bennett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great storytelling and descriptions.

[Jeffrey Williams · Rating 2 out of 5]

Leschak writes three books in one volume. His firefighting experiences, his philosophies and the history of the Peshtigo Fire as told by Father Peter Pernin. While the concept has a lot of potential, Leschak failed to live up to it.

Peter Pernin has already written his story (which is published by the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) and didn't need to be re-told. The book is supposed to focus on wildland firefighting, but its heavy verse of religion and philosophy became a major distraction. He excels at telling his stories of wildland firefighting during the 2000 season and shows a great deal of knowledge on the subject. If this would have been more about his stories and less about philosophy, it would have been a great read. Blending all three together didn't work.

If Leschak really wanted to apply his knowledge to the Peshtigo Fire, he should write a separate volume explaining in detail the way things occurred the way they did keeping the narrative with a tight focus. There is great potential for a book like that to hit the market. Unfortunately, this one as written misses the mark completely.

[Reading Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book (actually, petitioned Livebrary to get it, and they did!) after reading so much about it in the last book I read, Gonzales's Deep Survival. The bits Gonzales shared piqued my interest.

And it did not disappoint. Leschak, formerly a seminarian, finds a diverging parallel with Father Pernin, a civilian priest who survived (barely) the great Peshtigo wildfire. Leschak, himself a firefighter, is no longer a member of the church (any church) but still retains the lens of spirituality and wonder of a religious worldview.

People have criticized this book for not being enough about Peshtigo and I think that's...not a valid criticism. Read the subtitle of the book. It's clearly not just going to be about Peshtigo.

Leschak is a sketch writer--he doesn't paint full technicolor lush deep images, but he sketches his scenes in vivid precise details, powerful enough that the reader feels they are there, feeling the quickening of the pulse as he describes spotting a fire from a helicopter, or imagining the scorching fire, so hot that wet quilts draped over the heads of the riverbound are drying out in minutes.

It's not just a parallel adventure--Leschak shares his insights about leadership, courage, purpose, and the like along the way. Great read for both the stories and for his hard-earned wisdom.

[Sarah Ewald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not often an easy read, especially in these recent years of wildfires in the US and Canada. Written in 2002, it is as relevant today as it was then. Peter Leschak tells of his journey to becoming a firefighter from beginnings as a insecure seminary college student, and a lot of his sentiments hail from the instructors he had there. But he knew that he was not destined to become clergy. His round-about way was as a volunteer at his local firehouse. The stories he tells gave me chills, and were especially scary, knowing that a good friend has a son who is wildfire fighter in Michigan who has spent time out west fighting fires.
The author juxtaposes his stories with those of Father Pernin, who survived the 1871 Peshtigo fire in Wisconsin, that happened on the same day as the Great Chicago Fire. I had previously read several book about the Peshtigo Fire that inspired me to travel to Peshtigo last year to visit their fire museum. The chaos of that fire and those loss of life there is unimaginable.

Not an easy read but inspiring and one that will make you appreciate the firefighters who take up the challenges.

[Lori · Rating 4 out of 5]

The hard and dangerous work of firefighting is evident and confirmed in this delicate work and writing. Though the stories go on and on, Peter has the gift of words and an abundance of wisdom and knowledge behind everything he has written. I was especially in tune to chapter 9, so keep reading to the finish line (and don’t skip ahead).

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping story encompassing an historic fire, personal experience and philosophy, Ghosts of the Fireground, weaves together various elements (history, experience, and faith/purpose) in a seamless whole.

Superb storytelling, excellent writing, quotes from Carl Jung made it a book that was hard to put down.

[Kate Thorne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating account of surviving wildfires in 19th century, and fighting them in the 20th and 21st centuries. So much more important as we head into a century of unprecedented wildfires as our climate changes.

[Meghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deeply involved descriptions of fires, fighting fires, passion for fires, leaving seminary but finding faith while fighting fires, and then also parallels to the peshtigo fire. I found myself skipping parts related to seminary and modern firefighting in favor of the peshtigin stories.

[Maureen Mahowald · Rating 2 out of 5]

Warning: this book contains an over abundance of adjectives and testosterone. The parts of the book dealing with the Peshtigo fire and Fr. Pernin were the most interesting to me.

[Britton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thrilling. Makes me think I missed my calling in life, or that it was mine in a past life. Fire science is truly awesome and interesting to learn about especially in an age of D.E.W.

[Homo Sapien · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fair book. The writing was sometimes old-fashioned and the plot seemed to move slow or be nonexistant in places. The constant religious references were off-putting and alienating, I don't want to read about how someone found God, I want to read about his adventures as a fire fighter! One or two references are okay, but it was a little heavy on the religious front. Didn't leave much room for any other thoughts or ideas.

The history however was interesting, especially seeing how the Peshtigo fire is constantly overshadowed by the Chicago fire that occurred at the same time.

Wildland firefighters are generally volunteers who work a few months of the year fighting wild fires, the return to their regular jobs and lives. I have to say the fire scenes were exciting when they came around, but all in all it was a difficult book to get through.

[Bo Day · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd never heard of the Peshtigo fire before I read this book. Leschak's knowledge and understanding of fire gives hair raising context to the observations of Reverend Peter Pernin during that horrible fire. For that knowledge alone, it's worth the read.

The descriptions of Leschak's fire fighting experiences are less exciting, and in some places too technical for me. I found myself skimming through a lot of passages, but maybe that's just me. I also kept expecting Leschak to relate a really dangerous close call or near death experience (like Peter Pernin and others he talks about in the book), but he never does.

It leaves both us and Leschak wondering if he would make the right decisions in a terrible situation, which isn't the most satisfying ending.

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating story of the Peshtigo fire. I read it while travelling...through that very area.
This fire happened at the same time as the "Great Chicago Fire"; the Peshtigo fire killed many more people; but was overshadowed by Chicago.
The story is incredibly well told. There are loads of details, from the diary of people who were there.
Interesting things like seeking shelter in a pool in the river...and being torn between freezing in the water, or burning outside of it.

[Kerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started reading this book with a healthy sense of skepticism, but was quickly proven wrong. Despite Leschak's penchant for romanticizing and nostalgia, he cuts to the quick of human nature in incredibly difficult, dangerous, and beautiful settings. Particularly fire. I enjoyed the historical aspect a lot, as an amateur history lover.

[J.A. Busick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leschak is at his best when talking about fire -- the wildfires he fights, or the Peshtigo fire that forms his historic backdrop. When he veers into spirituality, the narrative suffers. Overall a good read.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pretty good book about fighting wildfires. The weaving in of the story of Father Pernin and his struggles during the Peshtigo fire don't always seem entirely relevant, but are still interesting. It was funny that I happened to drive by Peshtigo while reading the book.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book that weaves current day experiences of a wildland firefighter with the deadliest wildfire in our history.

[Kristopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful historical retelling and personal narrative. Required reading for anyone who has walked the fire grounds.

[Jacque Stengel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend!