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The U.S. Marine Corps’ Worst-Ever Peacetime Disaster?

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“Having witnessed a lot of bad things, ugly things, none can compare to that experience.”

—General Robert H. Barrow, 27th Commandant of the Marine Corps, on meeting Marines injured in the Fuji Fire

Hear what the general, in 1991, told the Marine Corps’ top historian:

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On October 19, 1979, remnants of the largest, most intense tropical cyclone ever recorded battered a U. S. Marine Corps training camp in Japan. Along the lower slopes of Mount Fuji, the Super Typhoon prompted a fuel spill at the ramshackle encampment. More than 5,000 gallons of gasoline flowed atop floodwaters into corrugated steel huts occupied by Marines and Sailors. The huts’ open-flame kerosene heaters sparked flash fires. Amid tumultuous wind and rain, burning fuel flowed from structure to structure. Seventy-three were injured in the mishap at Camp Fuji — 54 of them suffering burns. Thirteen lost their lives.
The Marine Corps commandant, who had served since 1942, termed the tragedy “the most serious peacetime disaster we’ve had in the Marine Corps during my time.” Sixteen days after it happened, when violent protestors seized the American Embassy in Iran, attention shifted away from the disaster in Japan. While those whose lives were forever changed by the events cannot forget, few others are aware it ever happened.

 

Drawing on a four-year, two continent investigation, Fuji Fire: Sifting Ashes of a Forgotten U. S. Marine Corps Tragedy details the complex series of naturally-occurring and man-made circumstances that led to the fire at Camp Fuji; how thousands of people, American and Japanese, sprang to the aid of the burn-injured Marines; and the resulting mix of grief, questions, fortitude and inspiration.

 

Fuji Fire is published by Potomac Books, an imprint of the University of Nebraska Press. The accompanying audiobook, narrated by the author, is produced by Tantor Media.
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“The complexity of this story makes it exceedingly difficult to tell. Till now it has been little remembered and infrequently taught in our military academies. Mr. Henry’s scholarly rigor, knowledge of the military and storytelling skill may at last change that.”

James WebbFormer Marine, Navy Secretary, U. S. Senator and Author
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“...poignant and gripping... nothing short of a masterpiece... Henry knows whereof he speaks...and he speaks so well he had me near tears many times. This is the classic manifestation of Semper Fidelis.”

Capt. Dale DyeU.S. Marine Corps (Ret.), author, filmmaker, and military adviser
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“[Portrays] victories of the human spirit, immense sacrifice, inspiring camaraderie, and personal transcendence. Impeccably researched, skillfully written...Chas Henry has written a fine book and created a worthy memorial to the living and the lost.”

Ralph PetersAuthor of Beyond Terror and Cain At Gettysburg
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“A story of sacrifice and heroism… One of the best books I have ever read.”

Charles W. HendersonInternational best-selling author of Marine Sniper: 93 Confirmed Kills
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“Blending forensic reportage with oral histories, Henry dissects the systemic failures and raw heroism buried beneath official records…[Fuji Fire] reads like a courtroom drama meets war diary.”

Sarah JensenGoodreads
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“Fuji Fire is an astonishing achievement, a triumph of deep research and expert storytelling that conveys a tragic and yet ultimately heroic and inspiring tale.”

Michael MazarrRAND senior political scientist
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“A remarkable piece of research... [and] ultimately a story of resilience. The pain and suffering described in the book is offset by many examples of people rising above their challenges...Marines looking after fellow Marines, and members of the public stepping up to help those in need.”

Bill HarlowFormer CIA and White House Spokesman, writing in The Cipher Brief
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“Dramatic, compelling, and very informative....The Fuji fire is worth remembering not only for honoring those who died or were seriously injured but also for the insights this account offers into the culture of the Marine Corps.”

Richard B. MeixselHistorian and author of Frustrated Ambition: General Vicente Lim and the Philippine Military Experience, 1910–1944
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“A unique aspect of the book is the detailed background information of almost every victim, military and civilian, in this tragedy especially the young Marines many of whom are barely out of their teens…”

Lieutenant Commander Chip Lancaster, USN (Ret.)In the Naval Helicopter Association's Rotor Review Magazine
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“…well written, masterfully researched… I will highly recommend it and buy copies for my friends.”

Patrick ShaubFormer U. S. Marine Corps Pilot and Author, Flying the Lifeline book series
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“Fuji Fire is a first-class book about a little-known yet terrible event. It is also a heartwarming story of people coming together across cultures, nations, and institutions to help each other in a time of need.”

James PekollAmerican Library Association Booklist Magazine
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“[Written with] a journalist’s precision and a storyteller’s heart... Fuji Fire is essential reading for military professionals, healthcare workers, and anyone seeking to understand the true meaning of sacrifice and service.”

Colonel Nancy Molter, PhD, USA (Ret.)U. S. Army Nurse Corps Association Newsletter
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“...a brilliant account of a tragic chapter in the history of our Corps. Suffering casualties in combat is tough enough, but experiencing casualties in training and non-combat incidents is, in many ways, tougher to handle. They are not expected and remind us that we are in a dangerous business. Those Marines lost and injured in the Fuji fire were heroes and should not be forgotten.”

General Anthony Zinni, U. S. Marine Corps (Ret.)Former Commander in Chief, U. S. Central Command
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”I was not at Camp Fuji during the 1979 fire, but had trained there nineteen months beforehand. Disheartened that few seemed aware of the tragedy fellow Marines experienced at the camp, I set out to learn what happened, and tell their story.
—Chas Henry

Chas in 2023 with Japanese firefighters at Camp Fuji. The station from which they operate was completed in 1983 — in response to the 1979 disaster.

Project Updates

Each of the items below links to an article or audiovisual post. Scrolling to the bottom of this page will cause hyperlinks to be highlighted.

On October 21, legendary motion picture technical advisor Captain Dale Dye recommended Fuji Fire: Sifting Ashes of a Forgotten U. S. Marine Corps Tragedy to readers of his blog Checkpoint Delta.
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On October 13, The Military Report published longtime security issues reporter Isaac Cubillos’ review of Fuji Fire.
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On October 9, the virtual conversation group Veterans Breakfast Club invited Fuji Fire survivors Jerry Holt, Mike Cummings and David Luttenberger to recall their 1979 experiences amid and after the disaster.
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On September 10, Disabled American Veterans Podcast host Matt Saintsing explored the typhoon, fuel spill and fire incident at Camp Fuji.

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On August 29, reporter Lidia Alcala of Lafayette, Louisiana’s KLFY-TV profiled Fuji Fire survivor Mike Cummings.
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On July 31, Wichita, Texas’s KAUZ-TV assigned reporter Devon Bajek to recount Mark Bedwell’s Fuji Fire survival story.
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On July 22, Tyshin Dawson of KFDX-TV in Wichita Falls, Texas reported on how former Marine and Fuji Fire survivor Mark Bedwell overcame horrific burn injuries to begin a life helping children safely enjoy the great outdoors.
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On July 17, Federal News Network reporter Eric White’s report on the 1979 disaster at Camp Fuji aired in Washington, D. C.
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On July 17, Air Force Veteran Bob Peters, host of the Central Florida Salutes YouTube series, interviewed Chas about his military career and the Fuji Fire project.
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On July 14, Ben Buehler-Garcia, host of the syndicated program American Warrior Radio, thoughtfully shared word of the Fuji Fire with his national audience.
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On July 10, the Cover Stories Podcast of the intelligence-themed Cipher Brief devoted an episode to the 1979 events at Camp Fuji.

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On July 8, the Pacific edition of the military newspaper Stars and Stripes reported on release of the Fuji Fire book.
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On July 2, WBZ NewsRadio NightSide Host Dan Rea invited Chas back — for an extended conversation with three survivors of the Fuji Fire who recalled the incident in detail.
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On July 1, former CIA and White House spokesman Bill Harlow reviewed Fuji Fire in The Cipher Brief, a well-respected site focusing on intelligence matters.
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On June 25, Dan Rea, host of NightSide on Boston’s WBZ NewsRadio 1030 introduced listeners to the Fuji Fire story.
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The Fuji Fire audiobook debuted June 24, 2025.
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On June 16, the Philippine digital news organization Palawan Daily News introduced its readers to the Fuji Fire story.
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On June 7-8, the national radio program CBS Eye on Veterans devoted a lengthy segment to discussion of the Fuji Fire.

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On Memorial Day 2025, CBS News Radio stations across the U. S. broadcast correspondent Michael Toscano’s two reports remembering the 1979 typhoon, fuel spill and fire at Camp Fuji.
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Over Memorial Day weekend 2025, WTOP 103.5  anchor Ian Crawford created two Fuji Fire-related segments broadcast on Washington, D. C.’s all-news radio station.
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On May 24, in the Wall Street Journal, former Marine, Navy Secretary and U. S. Senator James Webb noted the importance of the story told in the book Fuji Fire.
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On May 22, Marty Lenz and Jeana Gondek of Denver’s KOA 94.1/850 spoke with Chas about the Fuji Fire on Colorado’s Morning News.
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On May 21, Charlie Harger and Manda Factor of KIRO 97.3 invited Chas to discuss the 1979 events at Camp Fuji on Seattle’s Morning News.
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Learn how the comedic actor Dick Van Dyke played a role in saving two Marines from serious injury in the fire at Camp Fuji.