Blowup : What Went Wrong at Storm King Mountain

Comprehension answers :

1. The three men outran the fire to the top of a ridge, where the fire stopped.

2. The fire began with a lightning strike.

3. The cold front created high winds, which spread the fire.

4. Firefighters died because the fire exploded around them before they knew what was
happening, and they could not outrun the fast-moving flames.

5. The fire had burned for three days. On July 2, the fire was ignited by a lightning strike. On
the morning of July 5, a crew was sent to prepare a helicopter landing site and cut a fire
line. At dawn on July 6, the Prineville Hotshots arrived. At 4:00 P.M. the situation became a
disaster when high winds hit the mountain and spread the fire, which then exploded. The
firefighters ran for their lives, but 14 did not make it.

6. The wildfires are fought by cutting fire breaks and dropping flame retardant from
planes, that most wildfires travel relatively slowly unless wind gusts increase the rate of
speed, and that blowups can occur when volatile gases are driven out of the trees by hot air
and then ignite.

7. Hot air rises up a slope. The hot air drives turpines (volatile gases) out of the timber. The
turpines lie along the hillside. Wind and flame reach the turpines. The turpines explode. A
blowup occurs.

8. Junger is a strong storyteller in the opening paragraphs, which involve the reader in Brad
Haugh’s sensations as he runs for his life. Junger vividly describes the victims’ final
moments (lines 211–234). He also creates suspense as he describes how the fire intensified
(lines 120–151). Junger’s reference to a similar fire foreshadows the tragic blowup to come
(lines 109–119).

9. Firefighters are heroic may note how dangerous and vigorous their jobs are, how
assiduously they worked, and how tragically they died. Students who do not think that the
firefighters are heroic may view them as victims, noting that they were unaware of the
seriousness of their situation and unprepared for what happened.