Nearly half a mile away the crew could hear Hellman shouting for water. In the valley of the ashes there was another sound - the occasional explosion of a dead tree that would blow to pieces when its resin became so hot it pass the point of ignition. There was little left alive to be frightened by the explosions. . . Norman Maclean Five of the men were alive after the fire swept through. Two of those, Hellman and Sylvia were so badly burned that they would die the next day in Helena (20 miles south of the gulch). The number 15 on the photo below marks the spot used for landing the helicopter during the rescue effort. The photo was taken near the top of the gulch, looking toward the northwest.  |
