The Ferocious Forest Fire Mystery

What Kids Say About Carole Marsh Mysteries . . .

I love the real locations! Reading the book always makes mewant to go and visit them all on our next family vacation. MyMom says maybe, but I can’t wait!

One day, I want to be a real kid in one of Ms. Marsh’s mysterybooks. I think it would be fun, and I think I am a real char-acter anyway. I filled out the application and sent it in andam keeping my fingers crossed!

History was not my favorite subject until I starting readingCarole Marsh Mysteries. Ms. Marsh really brings history tolife. Also, she leaves room for the scary and fun.

I think Christina is so smart and brave. She is lucky to be inthe mystery books because she gets to go to a lot of places. I al-ways wonder just how much of the book is true and what ismade up. Trying to figure that out is fun!

Grant is cool and funny! He makes me laugh a lot!!

I like that there are boys and girls in the story of differentages. Some mysteries I outgrow, but I can always find a fa-vorite character to identify with in these books.

They are scary, but not too scary. They are funny. I learn alot. There is always food which makes me hungry. I feel like Iam there.

What Parents and Teachers Say About Carole Marsh Mysteries . . .

I think kids love these books because they have such a wealthof detail. I know I learn a lot reading them! It’s an engagingway to look at the history of any place or event. I always sayI’m only going to read one chapter to the kids, but that neverhappens—it’s always two or three, at least! —Librarian

Reading the mystery and going on the field trip—ScavengerHunt in hand—was the most fun our class ever had! It reallybrought the place and its history to life. They loved the realkids characters and all the humor. I loved seeing them learnthat reading is an experience to enjoy! —4th grade teacher

Carole Marsh is really on to something with these unique mysteries. They are so clever; kids want to read them all. TheTeacher’s Guides are chock full of activities, recipes, and additional fascinating information. My kids thought I wasan expert on the subject—and with this tool, I felt like it! —3rd grade teacher

My students loved writing their own mystery book! Ms. Marsh’s reproducible guidelines are a real jewel. Theylearned about copyright and ended up with their own bookthey were so proud of! —Reading/Writing Teacher

“The kids seem very realistic—my children seemed to relate tothe characters. Also, it is educational by expanding theirknowledge about the famous places in the books.”

“They are what children like: mysteries and adventures withchildren they can relate to.”

“Encourages reading for pleasure.”

“This series is great. It can be used for reluctant readers, andas a history supplement.”

M A S T E R S O F D I S A S T E R S

B yC a r o l e M a r s h

Copyright ©2008 Carole Marsh/ Gallopade InternationalAll rights reserved.First EditionEbook edition Copyright ©2011

Carole Marsh Mysteries™ and its skull colophon are the property of CaroleMarsh and Gallopade International.

Published by Gallopade International/Carole Marsh Books. Printed in theUnited States of America.

Managing Editor: Sherry MossSenior Editor: Janice BakerAssistant Editor: Mike KellyCover Design & Illustrations: John Kovaleski (www.kovaleski.com)Content Design: Darryl Lilly, Outreach Graphics

Gallopade International is introducing SAT words that kids need to knowin each new book that we publish. The SAT words are bold in the story.Look for this special logo beside each word in the glossary. Happy Learning!

Gallopade is proud to be a member and supporter of these educationalorganizations and associations:

American Booksellers AssociationAmerican Library Association

International Reading AssociationNational Association for Gifted Children

The National School Supply and Equipment AssociationThe National Council for the Social Studies

Museum Store AssociationAssociation of Partners for Public LandsAssociation of Booksellers for Children

This book is a complete work of fiction. All attractions, product names, orother works mentioned in this book are trademarks of their respective ownersand the names and images used in this book are strictly for editorial purposes;no commercial claims to their use is claimed by the author or publisher.

Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of thispublication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system,or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical,photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission ofboth the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or viaany other means without the permission of the publisher is illegal andpunishable by law. Please purchase only authorized electronic editions and donot participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrightable materials.Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

A Word from the AuthorWhat is more frightening than fire? I believe in

stop/drop/and roll! I believe in smoke alarms and safetymatches. I love Smokey Bear.

If I cook s'mores over a campfire, I drown thatfire later. I am thrilled to say that I have never actuallyexperienced a forest fire—have you? They seem soscary. They are dangerous. And smart people know todo one thing: get out of their way!

While it might seem strange that sometimesfirefighters fight fire with fire, that's what they do.Firefighters are truly brave heroes. They often save livesand homes. I sure do admire them. You might thinkthey could not survive being overrun by a forest fire, butthey often do—by covering themselves in a spaceblanket that protects them from the heat and flames. Thesurprising thing about forest fires is that while they arenot so good for people and animals, they are oftenMother Nature's way to clear underbrush and give aforest a fresh new start.

Well, if "where there's smoke, there's fire"...thenwhere there's a mystery set in a forest fire, there's got tobe a great read ahead of you. So grab a hose or a bigglass of water and join Artemis and his family for a hottime in the old town tonight!

Carole Marsh

Hey, kids! As you see, here we are ready to embarkon another of our exciting Carole Marsh Mystery adventures. My grandchildren often travel with me allover the world as I research new books. We have a greattime together, and learn things we will carry with us forthe rest of our lives!

I hope you will go to www.carolemarshmysteries.comand explore the many Carole Marsh Mysteries series!

Well, the Mystery Girl is all tuned up and ready for“take-off!” Gotta go…Papa says so! Wonder what I’ve forgotten this time?

Happy “Armchair Travel” Reading,

Mimi

About the Characters

Artemis Masters is an absentminded genius. He’s a scientistat the top of his field in the early detection of natural disasters.Everyone looks to him to solve the mysteries of nature…hejust needs someone to find his car keys, shoes and glasses!

Curie Masters, though only 11, has inherited her father’sintelligence and ability to see things others don’t. She has anatural penchant to solve mysteries…even if it means tanglingwith those older and supposedly smarter than her.

Nick Masters, an 8-year-old boy who’s tall enough to pass as12, likes to match wits with his sister and has her desire tosolve mysteries others overlook. While he’s the youngersibling, he tends to want to protect his sister, and of course, bethe first to solve the mystery.

Books in this Series:#1 The Earthshaking Earthquake

Mystery

#2 The Treacherous Tornado Mystery

#3 The Horrendous Hurricane Mystery

#4 The Voracious Volcano Mystery

#5 The Behemoth Blizzard Mystery

#6 The Ferocious Forest Fire Mystery

1 Hot Enough To Burn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Maybe You Just Dreamed It . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 Hey, Dude! What About The Fire? . . . . . . . . . . . . .194 This Fire’s Not Going Away Quickly . . . . . . . . . . .235 Longitude And Latitude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .316 Smokejumping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .377 You’ve Got 30 Minutes! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .438 RATTLE! RATTLE! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .499 Fire Tornadoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5110 Where’s Dad? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5911 It Takes A Crazy Person . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6112 Listen And Learn, Little Brother! . . . . . . . . . . . . .6513 Sugar Cubes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7114 Wish In One Hand, Spit In The Other . . . . . . . . . .7715 Red Showers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8116 Too Smart For Their Own Good . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8717 Geronimo! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8918 Little Red Ridinghood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9119 Chips Off The Old Block . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99

About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105Book Club Talk About It! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106Book Club Bring It To Life . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110Forest Fire Trivia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112Get To Know Smokey Bear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115Scavenger Hunt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116Pop Quiz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117Tech Connects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118

Table of Contents

“Can you see them yet?” CopernicusMasters asked, gawking at the fire through hishigh-powered binoculars. He wiped a bead ofsweat off his forehead with the back of hisarm. The pre-dawn temperature had alreadyrisen above 80 degrees.

The blazing yellow morning sun had juststarted to peek above the eastern horizon ofthe Yellowstone Plateau, in YellowstoneNational Park, like a child’s hand sneakingover the edge of a plate of cookies. To 11-year-old Curie Masters, it looked like it was

Hot EnoughTo Burn

C H A P T E R O N E :

hesitant to rise, as if it wasn’t convinced itshould make its daily appearance yet.

Curie and Copernicus, her 8-year-oldbrother, were hunkered down at the edge of agrassy plain. They were watching a controlledburn about four miles away. Yesterday, the firechief explained that a controlled burn was afire that firefighters allowed to burn to keepthe forest healthy or help prevent a fire from spreading.

Copernicus, who preferred to be called“Nick,” was named after Nicolaus Copernicus,the first person to propose that the sun is thecenter of the universe. Curie was named afterMarie Curie, famous for her work onradioactivity and a two-time Nobel Prizewinner. Their father, Dr. Artemis Masters,was a scientist specializing in the detection ofnatural disasters.

“Yeah!” Curie said, as she peeredthrough her own set of binoculars. Sheglanced down at the grasslands in front of

2 The Ferocious FOREST FIRE Mystery

them and spied a young deer prancing about inthe tall grass. “Did you know grasslands havetheir own ecosystem where all livingorganisms work together and influence oneanother?” Curie asked.

“Yep,” Nick replied, looking at the firein the distance. “Last night when I was talkingto Yellowstone’s fire manager, Chief Thomas,he told me about the fires in 1988 that burneda lot of the park.”

“In 1988?” Curie asked.“Uh, huh,” Nick said. “That year, just

like this year, Yellowstone and the surroundingareas were having a severe drought, whichcaused iincendiary conditions. The trees andgrasses dried out and became moreflammable. In fact, the summer of 1988 wasthe driest in Yellowstone's recorded history.

“By the end of summer,” he continued,“Yellowstone had been scorched by 50 fires,not including the other 198 fires in thesurrounding area. On their worst single day

Hot Enough to Burn 3

of the summer, fires burned across 150,000acres. A new fire popped up almost every day!Together, they caused a raging inferno thatburned a third of the park, or over 700,000acres, before it was over.”

Nick lowered the binoculars from hiseyes. “Chief Thomas said that 25,000firefighters fought those fires during thesummer! That’s a lot of firemen!” heexclaimed. “Finally, in September, the firstsnows helped dampen the fires, and the lastones were extinguished in November.”

“Did Chief Thomas say how the firesstarted?” Curie asked.

“No, not specifically,” Nick replied.“But he did say that most fires are caused bylightning strikes. Believe it or not, there arearound eight million lightning strikes acrossthe world every day! About one percent ofthose strikes cause a fire. Careless people canalso cause fires, like when they don’t put out acampfire properly, or throw a lit cigarette out


the window of their car. He said that arson isinvolved sometimes, too.”

“Arson? I can’t believe somebody wouldstart a fire on purpose,” Curie said.

“You’ve got to get real, big sister,” Nicksaid. “It happens all the time. Not as much inforest fires, but there are still people who liketo set fires to get insurance money or even toget revenge on people.”

“That’s terrible!” Curie cried. “Weshould do something to help people learn howto prevent forest fires.”

“Hey, wait just a minute,” Nickremarked with a wink, “I wouldn’t want toinfringe on Smokey Bear’s territory.”

Hot Enough to Burn 5

“Fire Hunters One and Two. Come in,”Artemis said over the two-way radio. “This isFire Base Central. Do you copy?”

Curie pulled the radio off a clip on herbelt. “Roger, Fire Base Central,” Curie said.“This is Fire Hunters One and Two. We’re fiveby five and reading you loud and clear.”

“That’s great,” Artemis said, “becausebreakfast is ready and the day is young. Hurryon back here for some crispy, tasty bacon. You copy?”

“We copy and we’re on our way,” Curiesaid. “Keep the fire hot and the orange juice

Maybe You JustDreamed It

C H A P T E R T W O :


cold, we’ll be right back before the food grows old!”

Nick jumped to his feet, causing theyoung deer to bolt into the woods. “Last onethere has to clean the dishes!” Nick roared, ashe dashed back to their camp.

This time, Curie was prepared forNick’s antics. Whenever they went camping,he always tried to get out of doing dishes. Shewatched Nick as he flew through someunderbrush and disappeared. Curie calmlyclipped the radio to her belt and ducked intothe woods, taking the shortcut back to campthat she had found yesterday when they first arrived.

Nick leaped over a log and burst intocamp, his chest heaving from exertion. Heskidded to a stop when he saw Curie sitting atthe picnic table. She held a buttery piece of

Maybe You Just Dreamed It 9

toast in one hand and a strip of mouthwateringbacon in the other.

“No way!” Nick screamed. “How didyou beat me back here? That’s not possible.”

“Beat you back here?” Curiequestioned. “What makes you think I everleft? Maybe you just dreamed I was with you!”She smiled as she bit the bacon slice in half.

“Nick!” Artemis called. “Grab somebreakfast and have a seat.” Artemis wasdressed in his usual oversized white lab coat.He looked like a mad scientist with a wild mopof bright red hair ringing his head. A pair ofglasses balanced precariously on the end of hisnose, while another pair swayed from a chainaround his neck.

Nick noticed Chief Thomas sitting atthe picnic table with his dad and anotherspecial visitor. He loaded his plate withcheesy scrambled eggs, sausage, and baconand plopped down on the bench between theChief and Smokey Bear.


Nick looked Smokey up and down.“What’s up, bear?” Nick asked.

Smokey tilted his hat, which had hisname written across the front, at Nick. “Hey,little buddy,” Smokey said. “Remember, onlyyou can prevent forest fires!”

“So I’ve been told,” Nick said. “But Ican’t say I’ve ever heard it from a bear.”

“Nick,” Chief Thomas said, “I’d like youto meet Smokey Bear. He’s going to help melater today when I talk to some schoolkids. Hewas interested in your father’s invention, so Iinvited him to have breakfast with your family.”

Nick shook Smokey’s outstretched paw.“Good to meet you, Smokey,” he said. “I’veheard a lot about the work you do to makepeople aware of how to prevent fires.”

“Well,” Smokey said, “I’m happy to seethat we have people like the three of you whoare working to keep our firefighters healthy.”

“Curie said you two were out watchingthe controlled burn,” Chief Thomas said.“Even with those high tech glasses you were


using, you probably couldn’t see any of thefirefighters testing your dad’s newLIPERFIRE Breathing System.”

“LIPERFIRE?” Nick asked, puzzled.“You know the government,” Chief

Thomas said. “We like to turn every phraseinto an acronym. You call it ‘LPFBS,’ forLightweight Personal Firefighting BreathingSystem. We decided to call it ‘LIPERFIRE.’How do you like the name?”

Curie and Nick cocked their heads ateach other and nodded. “It works for us!”Curie said with a grin.

“Good!” Chief Thomas exclaimed. “AndLIPERFIRE is working just great so far. Themen can’t say enough about how light it is,how they can breathe more freely, and movearound more easily when they use it.” He slidhis breakfast plate off to the side.

“Back to what you were saying aboutthe fire,” Nick said. “From this distance all wecould see were some flames and smoke. Is


that the only wildfire in the park right now?”he asked.

“No,” Chief Thomas replied. “We havetwo small fires, which were both started a fewdays ago by dry lightning.”

“Dry lightning?” Curie said. “Does thatmean there’s such a thing as wet lightning?”

“Yes, kind of,” Chief Thomas answered.“When a rainy thunderstorm makes lightning,you could call it wet lightning, but a stormwithout rain produces dry lightning.”

“Dry lightning,” Smokey added, “ismore common in the western part of thecountry because the air is much drier therethan the air east of the Mississippi River.”

“Exactly,” Chief Thomas said.“Although in reality, a thunderstorm withoutrain does have rain. It's just that the rain driesup before it reaches the ground. When drylightning reaches the dry ground, a fire issparked but there's no rain falling to douse the flames.”


“So,” Nick remarked, as he scooped upanother mouthful of scrambled eggs,“Smokey, since you’re against fires, why doyou allow controlled burns?”

“Well, Nick,” Smokey explained,“natural fires can be good for a forest. Manyplants and trees in a forest, like the lodgepolepine, have seeds that only open and germinateby heat. The whole ecosystem benefits whenfires cause new growth and a fresh start for aforest. New growth pops up about a year aftera fire. Then, the plants grow for a couple ofdecades, producing seeds that drop and laydormant until another fire comes along. But,it’s important that we stay in control of those fires.”

“Hmm!” Nick said. “I wonder where allthe animals go during a fire.”

“They scatter into other areas of theforest that aren’t burning,” Smokey said.“Depending on when the fire occurs, someanimals may be left behind because they aretoo young or old to travel.”


“Ooohhhhh!” Curie moaned. “That’s terrible.”

“That’s the circle of life,” Nick said,“but it is a shame.”

“I took a look at your father’s design forthe LIPERFIRE Breathing System,” Smokeysaid, changing the subject. “It’s quiteingenious. He said that you both helped himwith it.”

“A little,” Curie said. “Nick came upwith the particle filtration system, and I addedthe air moisture cooling components. But thebulk of it was Dad’s idea. He’s the smartestperson we know!”

“Hmmm,” Smokey said. “That’s funny,because he says the same about you two!Smart and humble! You don’t find thatcombination in too many humans.”

Chief Thomas stood up. “Well, I’ve gotto check on my crews, and get Smokey over tothe Canyon Visitor Center. We’ll see you latertoday, okay?”


Curie and Nick waved as they watchedSmokey and Chief Thomas drive away. “Asbears go,” Nick said, “that Smokey is a prettynice guy.”

“You’re a piece of work,” Curie said,grinning at her brother.

Neither of them saw the column ofsmoke just beginning to rise in the distance.

Tom shoved his arms through thestraps of his backpack and hoisted it onto hisshoulders. He kicked Ralph’s feet. Ralph wassprawled on a bedroll next to last night’scampfire.

“Hey, dude,” Tom said. “Are you readyto go?”

Ralph sat up and stretched. “Dude, thesun’s not even up yet,” he mumbled.

“No kidding!” Tom replied, munchingon a granola bar. “It’ll be up in a few minutes.We’ve got a lot of ground to cover and I want

Hey, Dude! What AboutThe Fire?

C H A P T E R T H R E E :


to hitch a ride as soon as we can. According toour list of things to see,” Tom said, tapping thepaper in his hand, “Mammoth Hot Springs isnext on the list and that’s only a few miles upthe road. Then we need to cut back and headdown to the Canyon Visitor Center thisafternoon. We’ll find a place to camp for thenight down there.”

“Okay, okay,” Ralph groaned. As heslowly rose to his feet, his fingers rubbed themedallion on the thick gold chain around his neck.

“Come on, Ralph,” Tom said. “This tripis supposed to brighten you up, man. You saidyou wanted to get away. You’ve got to put herout of your mind. It’s over, and it’s time foryou to move on.”

“I’m trying, man,” Ralph said, stillholding onto the medallion. “Let me roll thisup and I’ll be ready to go.”

Ralph tied the bedroll to his backpackand whipped it onto his shoulders. As he did,

Hey, Dude! What About The Fire? 21

one of the flaps on the bulging pockets poppedopen. A plastic bag flew out and landed underthe corner of a small boulder. Ralph jammedhis favorite baseball cap on his head and beganto follow Tom out of their campsite. A gust ofwind blew Ralph’s cap off his head. Hestumbled back to get it and noticed a wisp ofsmoke curling from the fire pit they had builtthe night before.

“Hey, dude!” Ralph shouted. “Whatabout the fire?”

“Dude!” Tom yelled. “Don’t worry, Ichecked it. It’s out. Come on, man, we’ve gotto get moving.”

“Okay!” Ralph shouted, jogging to catchup to his buddy.

The two campers hiked out of the densefoliage to Grand Loop Road and spotted a vanheading toward Mammoth. They both stuckout their thumbs to hitch a ride. The vanslowed to a stop, and they scrambled insidejust as another strong breeze whipped acrossthe road.


Seconds later, the same breeze blewthrough the trees, around fallen logs, pastdense bushes, and over the top of Tom andRalph’s campfire, easily blowing the top layerof ash from the burnt branches and twigs.Small coals glowed to life as fresh oxygen fedthe embers of the not-so-dead campfire.Another breeze picked up several of theglowing embers and whisked them into a pileof dried grass. Soon, smoke began to rise and,as if by magic, small flames flickered. The tinyfire grew with each gust of wind, swallowingmore grass and sucking in more oxygen.

The already warm day was about to getmuch hotter.

$5.99 US / $8.99 CANRL 3–5 007–014

9 780635 064653

50599

7 10430 06326 0

ISBN-13: 978-0-635-06465-3 ISBN-10: 0-635-06465-0

www.carolemarshmysteries.com

It’s a hot time in the old town

tonight when Artemis, the sort-of-

crazy scientist dad, and his whiz

kids Nick and Curie get wind of a big

forest fire in famous Yellowstone

National Park! Dad gets hot under

the collar over some missing horses,

but Nick and Curie keep their cool as

they learn about arson, wildfires,

firefighting, and more while trying to

find out who started the fire! Uh, if

you come along for this ride, it might

be wise to bring a raincoat ‘cause

you’re gonna get WET!

Watch Ouuuuuut!

The Ferocious Forest Fire Mystery

Documents

Transcript of The Ferocious Forest Fire Mystery