| In the early days of May 2016, the city of Fort McMurray, in northern Alberta’s subarctic boreal forest, was on fire. As temperatures rise and the winter snowpack starts to melt, wildfire season can kick off as early as spring in the province. But this was no ordinary fire. Gaining traction and power in a matter of hours, the fire overtook the entire city, forcing nearly 100,000 people to evacuate as their houses, cars, possessions and livelihoods burned to the ground before their eyes. The single costliest environmental disaster in Canada’s history, the fire was a frightening example of what B.C.-based journalist and author John Vaillant calls our new “century of fire.” In his latest book, Fire Weather: The Making of a Beast, Vaillant argues that our obsession with petroleum and fossil fuel extraction has led to a deadly new 21st century reality ruled by fire — in a form we have not previously experienced. As climate change has given rise to a world governed by hotter, drier conditions, human life and the natural environment are increasingly at the mercy of the elements. Focusing on the Fort McMurray catastrophe as an example of the fateful dynamic between intensified fires and resource extraction, Vaillant digs deep into the events of May 2016 to expose the true costs of this relationship. With Alberta experiencing another devastating wildfire season, and B.C. in the midst of a record-breaking spring heatwave, Vaillant spoke with Canadian Geographic about his book’s relevance. | 