As Temperatures Warm, Smokejumpers Fight Wildfires
The Guardian (July 13, 2016)
Smokejumpers have deployed in recent weeks in Alaska and Washington and are bracing for missions elsewhere. California’s season has gotten off to an explosive start with multiple blazes scorching tens of thousands of acres, destroying scores of structures and claiming at least two lives. Some 10.1m acres burned in the US last year, double the typical losses seen 30 years ago, pushing the federal government’s firefighting bill to $2bn and the US forest service’s budget to the breaking point. For smokejumpers, arguably more than anyone, the stakes have escalated.