Fuji Fire: Sifting Ashes of a Forgotten U.S. Marine Corps Tragedy

By: Chas Henry

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Synopsis: On October 19, 1979, the largest, most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded propelled 5,500 gallons of gasoline into corrugated steel huts filled with U.S. Marines. The gas ignited, injuring seventy-three people, thirteen of them fatally. The Marine Corps commandant, a veteran of combat in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam, was stunned as he met scores of horribly burned survivors. &“Having witnessed a lot of bad things, ugly things,&” the general declared, &“none can compare to that experience.&” And yet this 1979 catastrophe on the slopes of Japan&’s iconic Mount Fuji remains all but forgotten except by those directly affected. Now, the fruits of Chas Henry&’s exhaustive four-year, two-continent investigation provide insight into what many have called the U.S. Marine Corps&’ worst-ever peacetime disaster. Fuji Fire shares the compelling and intimate stories of heartbreak and inspiration forged by these events while bringing to light new, critical analyses of the incident&’s causes and effects.