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Fire Weather review: Why Canada’s wildfires will only get worse

John Vaillant chronicles the most destructive fire in Canada’s history, and explores what lies ahead, in this timely book

By James Dinneen

9 June 2023

New Scientist Default Image

The Bald Mountain wildfire burns in the Grande Prairie Forest Area in Alberta, Canada on 12 May.

Alamy Stock Photo

Fire Weather: A true story from a hotter world

John Vaillant

Knopf (US); Sceptre (UK)

Since the start of May, hundreds of wildfires have burned across Canada, sending volcanic amounts of smoke and record amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. The fires have forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate their homes and millions of people to the south to breathe polluted air. They have also threatened the heart of Canada’s oil …

Article amended on 13 June 2023

We corrected the extent of Fort McMurray that burned in the fire and the number of people evacuated.

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