Megafire

Starred review from June 15, 2017
How we have mismanaged fire over the last century--and the costs we're paying.Around the world, writes award-winning journalist and photographer Kodas (Environmental Journalism/Univ. of Colorado; High Crimes: The Fate of Everest in an Age of Greed, 2008, etc.), "megafires" are billowing each fire season, thanks to a perfect storm of related causes: climate change is making forests drier, beetles and other pests are making kindling of vast stretches of woodland, and "booming development...[has] filled forests with human-produced sparks and heat," to name just a few. Those vast fires flourish because of a miscalculated fire regimen--first trying to "extinguish every wildfire in the country," thereby allowing a vast inventory of flammable materials to build up, then introducing controlled burns that too often get out of control. In this country, the result is the projected annual burning, by midcentury, of an area the size of Maine. Trained as a forest firefighter, Kodas notes that he "didn't anticipate that schooling would be as much in economics and politics as it was in fuels and fire weather," since both politics and economics dominate decisions about fires and their aftermath. A case in point that he covers in depth is the Yarnell Hill Fire of 2013, in which 19 Arizona firefighters died; that story has been well-treated elsewhere, but Kodas brings new insight to the events and especially the legal wrangles that followed the blaze. More are likely to die, civilians and firefighters alike. The costs, as the author chronicles, are not just in terms of human lives, but also billions of dollars in property damage and economic loss--to say nothing of the costs states and municipalities must now shoulder as the federal government backs away from paying for firefighting. As Kodas dourly notes, Congress continues to block more funding even as the death count climbs. Worthy of shelving alongside the best of modern firefighting books--and of the broadest audience, especially in territories where fires are likely to rage.

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August 1, 2017
Journalist Kodas addresses the increasing destructiveness of forest fires, a topic gaining in significance as the climate warms. Initially he takes a traditional approach, immersing readers in stories of tragic fires in Colorado and Arizona as he recounts efforts to save lives and property that all too often are unsuccessful. However, as he reaches deeper into our national history of firefighting and the whole notion that forest fires must be fought at all costs, he reveals a cultural mindset that defies science, a deification of the firefighting profession that makes effective investigations nearly impossible, and an attitude about real-estate development in wooded areas that is foolhardy if not willfully ignorant. Grounding his investigation in personal stories, Kodas turns this exploration of the fire-industrial complex into a surprising page-turner. Always respectful of the lives lost fighting fire, the author never loses sight of the bigger picture: the fires aren't going away, and current approaches to addressing that fact are based on antiquated ideas. This is a must-read for all as forest fires spread across the country.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

Starred review from September 15, 2017

Kodas (High Crimes) investigates the rise of "megafires" in the western United States and throughout the world. Unlike their predecessors, these forest and brush fires are so named because of their sheer scale, high intensity, and large swaths of destruction. Using recent fires in Arizona and Colorado as exemplars of the phenomenon, Kodas looks at the complex interplay of factors that have led to the outbreak of such disasters within the past few decades and their impact on families in the area who live through them as well as the firefighters battling the blazes. Kodas applies personal interviews, on-site reporting, and extensive research to weave a cautionary tale and investigative analysis of megafires and their effects on a community. The author also looks at important issues of economics, politics, human behavior, and nature itself, which all weigh heavily on the occurrence of this destructive force. VERDICT This is a story that anyone who lives in a fire-prone state or who is thinking of moving to one should read. A much-needed book on a highly pertinent topic.--Laura Hiatt, Fort Collins, CO

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.