Fire and Ashes: On the Front Lines Battling Wildfires

An expert’s report on why wildland fires keep getting hotter, bigger, and more dangerous to the men and women who fight them

Are wilderness fires now a tragic and enduring feature of the American landscape? John N. Maclean, author of the acclaimed Fire on the Mountain , offers a view from the front lines, combining action-packed storytelling with moving insights about firefighters and informed analysis of firefighting strategy past and present.
Beginning with a riveting account of the worst case of arson in wildfire history-the 1953 Rattlesnake Fire in Mendocino National Forest, which claimed the lives of fifteen firefighters-Maclean explains the mysterious dynamics of fire, and the courage and techniques required to combat it.