Inside the Inferno : A Firefighter's Story of the Brotherhood That Saved Fort McMurray

"On May 1, one of the worst natural disasters in Canada's history struck Fort McMurray. What began as a small, remote forest quickly became a nightmare for the 90,000 residents of the city. A perfect combination of weather, geography, and circumstance had created a wildfire that was more dangerous than anyone could have imagined. As winds drove the flames towards Fort McMurray, the entire city population was ordered to evacuate. When the fire leapt across the river and started to devour everything in its path, the only people left to face it were the firefighters and support crew tasked with protecting the city. Born and raised in Fort McMurray, Damian Asher was a fifteen year veteran of the city's fire department. When the order went out for all firefighters to report for duty, Damian stopped work on his family's house-which he was building by hand-sent his wife and children out of town, and answered the call. For thirteen straight days, Damian and his crew were on the frontlines of the fire, battling the blaze wherever it encroached upon the city. As homes burned and embers rained down around them, Damian and the rest of the Brotherhood barely slept, rushing from hotspot to hotspot as they struggled to contain the fire. Aid poured in from around the world and the country watched in hope and fear, wondering what was happening on the streets of Fort McMurray. Finally, after weeks of fighting a wildfire that appeared insatiable, the Brotherhood managed to regain control of the city. But the fire had more than left its mark - billions of dollars of damage, exhausted emergency workers, and a scattered citizenry were left in its wake. When Damian's family returned to their home, they found that it and all of their possessions had been burned to the ground. It seemed as though things would never be the same. And yet, as the smoke dissipated and the city reunited, there was hope that life would resume in Fort McMurray."-- Provided by publisher An action-packed, on-the-ground memoir of the Fort McMurray wildfire and the courage, resilience, and sacrifice of the firefighters who saved the city. In May 2016, what began as a remote forest fire quickly became a nightmare for the ninety thousand residents of Fort McMurray. A perfect combination of weather, geography and circumstance created a raging wildfire that devoured everything in its path. Winds drove the flames towards the town, forcing the entire population to evacuate. As the fire swept through neighbourhoods, it fell to the men and women of the fire department to protect the city. Born and raised in Fort McMurray, Damian Asher was a fifteen-year veteran and captain in the city’s fire department. Day after day, Damian and his crew remained on the front lines of the burning city. As embers rained down around them, they barely slept, pushing their minds and bodies to the brink as they struggled to contain the fire. As he led his crew through the smoke and the flames, Damian had little time to worry about whether the house he had built for his family was still standing. With media unable to get into the locked-down city, the world watched in hope and fear, wondering what was happening on the fiery streets. Finally, after weeks of battling the wildfire, the firefighters managed to regain control. When the smoke cleared, much of the city had been destroyed. Would things ever be the same? How would the city reunite? What would it take to rebuild life in Fort McMurray?