John Vaillant – A Riveting Exploration of Fire

John Vaillant is a renowned writer and journalist whose work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, National Geographic, and more, and he’s also the author of classic books including The Tiger and The Golden Spruce. His most recent book is titled Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World, which is a must-read for anyone interested in wildfires, humans’ relationship with fire, and the future of fire-related disasters. And you don’t have to take my word for it– the book won the 2023 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction and was a finalist for both the National Book Award and the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction.

Fire Weather tells the story of the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfire– a historic and apocalyptic fire that torched the city of Fort McMurray, Alberta, and spread across nearly 1.5 million acres of forest. With this epic disaster as the focal point, John masterfully weaves in the fascinating histories of fire, the fossil fuel industry, and climate science. He also explores 21st-century wildfires– why they are hotter, more aggressive, and more destructive than anything we’ve seen before. Whether you’re interested in the science of fire and forest health, the fascinating relationship between humans and fire, or you’re just looking for a book that you won’t be able to put down, I give Fire Weather my highest endorsement.

Wildfires are obviously becoming more and more intense and destructive here in the West, so I was excited to chat with John and dig deeper into the history of fire and the outlook for the future. We discussed why he decided to devote many years to writing about this particular wildfire, and how the book’s ingenious structure came to him in a dream. We talk about the similarities between living beings and fire, a fascinating idea known as the Lucretius Problem, some of the story’s larger-than-life characters, John’s long-term goals for the book, some of his favorite books, and much, much more.

A huge thanks to John for writing such an impactful book and for taking the time to chat with me. I encourage you to pick up a copy of Fire Weather as soon as you can, but in the meantime, enjoy this wide-ranging conversation with John Vaillant.

Header photo: Chris Schwarz / Government of Alberta / Reuters; Headshot: John Sinal

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RESOURCES:

Topics Discussed:

• 3:30 – When John realized he wanted to write about fire
• 11:15 – The surprising significance of dreams in John’s writing
• 14:15 – How John organizes the information in his head so he can write
• 19:45 – A brief note on pacing, and the similarities between living beings and fire
• 30:45 – The Lucretius Problem
• 35:45 – How John finds the characters for his book
• 44:15 – How John handles writing about someone in a less-than-flattering light
• 52:00 – John’s goals for his book, Fire Weather
• 57:30 – John’s book recommendations
• 1:02:15 – John’s parting words of wisdom

Information Referenced:

• Fire Weather by John Vaillant
• The Tiger by John Vaillant
• The Golden Spruce by John Vaillant
• The Jaguar’s Children by John Vaillant
• Johnathon Dee
• Fort McMurray, Alberta
• Tubbs Fire
• Paradise Fire
• Camp Fire
• Lucretius
• Alex Steffen
• Marshall Fire
• Lahaina, HI
• The Johnstown Flood by David McCullough
• Endurance by Alfred Lansing
• Shackleton expedition
• Moby Dick by Herman Melville
• Paddle to the Sea by Holling C. Holling
• The Tree and the Trail by Holling C. Holling
• Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
• Life Story by Virginia Lee Burton

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Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:

• Rob Addington – A Deep Dive into Western Wildfires and Forest Health
• Hampton Sides – Live at the Aspen Institute
• Dr. Sara Dant Returns – “Losing Eden: An Environmental History of the American West”
• Douglas Brinkley – Exploring the Past to Find Inspiration for the Future
• Doug Peacock – 50 Years of Fighting for the Grizzlies
• Bryce Andrews, Part 2 – “Holding Fire”
• Auden Schendler – The Optimistic Pragmatist
• David Gessner Returns – “A Traveler’s Guide to the End of the World”

Visit the podcast page for a full, searchable list of episodes

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