However, the Big Burn was too big to fight. Dozens of smaller fires had combined into one big, terrible blaze, which got even worse when strong wind blew in from the northwest. The fire was lifted into the tops of the trees. Burning wood flew 10 miles (16 kilometers) away and started new fires. Flames 300 feet (19.5 meters) high rose over the frightened firefighters. A fire that big is a monster. It makes its own weather, sucking air into its center and twisting like a tornado. Pulaski forgot about firefighting and focused on saving the lives of the 45 men who were with him.