Wild Fire - by Jesse Winter (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Award-winning journalist Jesse Winter takes us on a dangerous and often heroic journey to the frontlines of three Canadian wildfires, introducing readers to firefighters, volunteers and others who are facing the country's most devastating infernos.

In Wild Fire, Jesse Winter takes readers on a dramatic and riveting journey to the frontlines of some of Canada's most devastating blazes. Weaving together incredible stories of everyday courage, danger and disaster, Winter offers a unique view into our current peril--sharing invaluable insight from those who've faced down Canada's hungriest infernos.

Across British Columbia, he encounters terrifying close calls and unbelievable bravery. In Jasper, he meets the tireless volunteer firefighters who answer the town's urgent call for help. And, in the far North, he hears from residents who band together as fires blaze closer and closer. At each site, he also confronts a system buckling under the pressure of previously unimaginable fire. Since 2020, wildfires have, on average, burned through five times more square kilometres than they did in the 1970s--destroying an area twice the size of Vancouver Island every summer.

As Winter journeys to the country's most fire-prone areas, he asks what we're getting right and also examines what we're getting perilously wrong. From there, he makes the compelling case that if Canada wants to survive its inevitably hot future, it needs to take the hard-won lessons of such local communities to heart. The end result is an account that feels immediate and intimate, urgent and hopeful.

Review Quotes

Shortlisted for the 2026 Balsillie Prize for Public Policy

"In Wild Fire, Winter has written an important and prophetic book about our role with wildfire that should be heeded and acted upon. It is truly a must-read!" --The British Columbia Review

"Jesse's [work] takes us into the heart of the battle and shows how small a force we are against such a major event. It's a perspective on climate that many people have not seen, showing the profound consequences for both the forest and human beings living in its shadow." --Edward Burtynsky (2024 CJF Edward Burtynsky Award for Climate Photojournalism jury citation)