On Fire Inaugural Talk: When It All Burns: The Creation of California’s Wildfire Crisis

This talk offers an on-the-ground perspective from a record-breaking fire season on a California hotshot crew, tracing the sociological, historical, and economic forces that fuel today’s megafires. For wildland firefighters, navigating the escalating impacts of climate change is a matter of life and death. These fires are not natural disasters, but the result of political choices. Understanding where they come from—and how firefighters survive on their edges—is essential to imagining a more just and equitable climate future in California. Audience Q&A and a reception will follow.

Jordan Thomas is the author of When It All Burns: Fighting Fire in a Transformed World, which was recently nominated for a National Book Award. His work has appeared in The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The New York Review of Books, and The Drift, among others. He is a cultural anthropology doctoral candidate at UCSB and former wildland firefighter.

Sponsored by the IHC’s On Fire series