Beyond Tranquillon Ridge is a story about a phenomenon called firestorm.
In his riveting account, Joseph Valencia follows the individual characters of this tragic wildfire, from the high command; including fire chiefs and generals, down to the men on the front lines; the firefighters and airmen.
Beyond Tranquillon Ridge is a place and time that stood still for twenty-four hours. It is a story of devastating wind, explosive fire, and the stranglehold of human drama—amid the secret space launch facilities of Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Drawing on more than one-hundred interviews, Mr. Valencia re-creates the experience while his narrative describes the confusion and fear that was part of the worst fire in Vandenberg’s history—the “Honda Canyon Fire.”
Valencia’s detailed research as well as his own personal experiences completes a puzzle of nature gone wild and man’s attempt to control it. The story ties together the physical and human dynamics that led to the deaths of the Air Force commander, two fire chiefs and a heavy-equipment operator.
It is a sweeping reconstruction of a significant event that changed the fate of Vandenberg for years to come.
