Book by Quincy High School graduate nominated for award by Missouri Writers Guild

QUINCY — A book, “Half the Town Burned: The Great Wooldridge Fire of 2022,” written by Quincy native Tim Scherrer has been selected as a finalist in the Show Me Your Best Award category by the Missouri Writers Guild. The award will be presented at the Missouri Writers Guild conference in late September

The Show Me Your Best Award is awarded to books of fiction, nonfiction or poetry that incorporates the state of Missouri and shows appreciation for the people, land and culture of the state.

Published in 2023, Scherrer’s book tells the store of a wildfire that wiped half of a Missouri village off the map. The fire triggered the largest statewide fire mutual aid in Missouri history. The fire was fought by 161 firefighters from 63 departments from all over Missouri. Research for the book included interviewing 46 witnesses, a review of official records, 75 media reports and 911 calls and fire department radio chatter.

Scherrer is a 1983 graduate of Quincy High School.