WHEN IT ALL BURNS - FIGHTING FIRE IN A TRANSFORMED WORLD

"Eighteen of California's largest wildfires on record have burned in the past two decades. Scientists recently invented the term 'megafire' to describe wildfires that behave in ways that would have been impossible just a generation ago, burning through winter, exploding in the night, and devastating landscapes historically impervious to incendiary destruction. Wildland firefighters must navigate these new scales of destruction in real time. In [this book], Jordan Thomas recounts a single, brutal six-month fire season with the Los Padres Hotshots--the special forces of America's firefighters. Being a hotshot is among the most difficult jobs on Earth. Their training is as grueling as any Navy SEAL's, and the social induction is even tougher. As Thomas viscerally renders his crew's attempts to battle flames that are often too destructive to contain, he uncovers the hidden cultural history of megafires"--