In 1910, three million acres of forest in Idaho and Montana - an area the size of Connecticut - burned down, making it the largest forest fire in American history. Timothy Egan's new book, The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and The Fire That Saved American, argues the fire, which claimed 70 lives, actually saved our nation's forests by strengthening the U.S. Forest Service and rallying public opinion behind Roosevelt's plan to protect national lands. Listen to Egan discuss the book on Fresh Air and then read a chapter here.