World on Fire

For the very first time North America is dealing with heat domes….extreme temperatures, winds and tinder dry conditions igniting out of control wildfires. We’ll take you to Lytton B.C where people have lost everything to the flames, and visit the front lines of wildfire season in the Western United States, where exhausted crews are battling another record breaking year. We’ll hear from the people trying to prepare and save remote communities and find out what has climate experts more concerned than ever. Read more online at cbc.ca/1.6108111

Its been a few months since World on Fire was launched in one of the quietest wildfire seasons in Canada. And then the western United States burst into flames. In episode 6 —The Pyrocene and the Pandemic— we’ll hear from an NPR reporter in Oregon who fled the wildfires not once but twice. We’ll look at how smoke from those fires is affecting us here in Canada and hear first person stories of how this podcast is resonating with people around the world.

Fire doesn’t discriminate. Its damage runs much deeper than places and things. In this episode of World On Fire, we learn about the toll fire takes on our mental and physical health, and the imprint it leaves on our communities. We’ll head to a First Nation in B.C. where members refused to evacuate when fire threatened their homes. Then we’ll go to Fort McMurray, Alberta, where children are dealing with PTSD — even some who moved there after the fires.

Survival drives innovation, and wildfires have driven us to find creative ways to protect ourselves and our communities. People all over the world are inventing new tools, techniques and methods to battle these increasingly devastating fires. Meet some of the people creating a new landscape for firefighting in this episode of World On Fire.

When your backyard is burning, is anywhere safe? Surrounded by smoke, flame and fear — we hear from people living through some of their darkest days, the experts who say we should be extremely worried, and the next generation who must make sense of it all. This is the first episode of World on Fire, hosted by Adrienne Lamb and Mike Flannigan.