The 1910 Fire That Burned Through Nearly 3 Million Acres in 36 Hours

A recently burned valley.

Writer and Director Stephen Ives discusses his latest film, “The Big Burn.” Inspired by Timothy Egan’s best-selling book, “The Big Burn” is the story of the massive wildfire that swept across the Northern Rockies in the summer of 1910. The fire devoured more than three million acres in 36 hours, confronting the fledgling U.S. Forest Service with a catastrophe that would define the agency and the nation’s fire policy for much of the 20th century. The film will air on PBS on February 3rd at 9PM, and will be available on DVD that same day.