3000 Degrees

The True Story of a Deadly Fire and the Men Who Fought It

By: Sean Flynn

Narrated by: Richard Rohan

On December 3, 1999, the call crackled in to the men of the Worchester, Massachusetts Fire Department: a three-alarm warehouse blaze in a six-story windowless colossus of brick and mortar.

Firefighters love the excitement of a "triple." But this was a different beast. Rollovers, flashovers, backdrafts, this one had it all. Once inside, they found themselves trapped in a snarling furnace of blazing orange heat as hot as a crematorium, with smoke so black and predatory they had to feel for their partners next to them. Swallowed deep in the building, with no way out, they struggled to survive an ill-fated ordeal that would push them to the very limits of loyalty and courage.

What happened next - and how their lives and community were changed forever - offers an unprecedented look at these heroic men whose job it is to rush into burning buildings when everyone else just wants out.

©2002 Sean Flynn (P)2002 Listen & Live Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Audie Award Winner, Nonfiction (Unabridged) 2003

"[Among] books appearing this year about fires and firefighting...the best of the lot is Sean Flynn's 3000 Degrees." (Newsweek)
"Gripping prose...With confident, deft description, Flynn brings to life this 3000-degree catastrophe with a crackling intensity." (Publishers Weekly)
"A miracle of reporting...This story has the emotional power of the best narrative art." (American Society of Magazine Editors

Heroes All

Any additional comments?

An amazing historical recounting of the brave men who fought the fire at the Worcester Cold Storage, those who lost their lives and those who had to carry the burden of that loss for the rest of their lives. Very well written and read. My only criticism is in the editing, the actual fire fight is split in two parts, the second half coming first and the first half second! What's up with that? It made it very confusing to follow, a chronological telling would be much better. All in all, highly recommended if you're looking for the real 'Chicago Fire'.

chapters out of order

The story and the narration was great, but the chapters were out of order. I felt like the book was maybe doing a jump forward, but it was just an error from whoever uploaded the book causing several chapters in the middle to be placed in the wrong order.

Good read

A little dramatic but good retelling. Good for someone who wants more on the history of the event and feeling tied to it.

Great nonfiction

I thought this book was perfect. Just the right amount of detail, the right length, really moving. The narration was great too. The detail in the production was good, and made this hard to push pause on.

Worst Nightmare

This is well written and takes into account real people for what they do and did. The heroism which takes place in this true to life story is inspiring to all who do the job day in day out. The realism which is described in the telling of the story is a spine chilling accounts of the men and their dedication to each other. This was great to listen too and a great story as well.

Excellent

If you're a firefighter, this book is for you. Gripping story of 6 firefighters who lost their life in Wooster, Mass in 1999.Great detail. Best firefighter book I have read.

An Excellent Book

I’m a retired firefighter in Texas. The author does an incredible job describing not just the fire, but also the lives of the men who fought it. Their loss seems all the more tragic after you get to know them through the discussion of their backgrounds and personal/family lives. I highly recommend this book. It’s one of the few I’ve listened to more than once. (Three times to be exact.)

Right On

This was a fantastic book. The author did his homework on this one. I am a firefighter and he has it prefect. Station life. The whole works.I'm a seasoned vet and I had tears in my eyes. Great reading....(listening)

Real heroes do not carry guns!

Where does 3000 Degrees rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best books period!

What did you like best about this story?

This is the real deal.

What about Richard Rohan’s performance did you like?

I loved the radio voice chatter.

Any additional comments?

Just a perfect real story.

Makes you want to learn more..

I heard John Sullivan's personal account of this fire at lecture one day and it captured me then. But this year after the recent anniversary of the fire, I listened to this version from a different perspective, it not only made me want to study the fire and learn more about the fire, but learned so much about the members that were there. Heartbreaking..