Fire and Ashes: On the Front Lines of American WildfireAn experts report from the front lines where wildland fires keep getting hotter, bigger, and more dangerous to the men and women who fight them In 2002, more than seven million acres were burned at a fire fighting cost of over a billion dollars. Are wilderness fires now a tragic and enduring feature of the American landscape? John N. Maclean, author of the acclaimed Fire on the Mountain, offers a view from the front lines, combining action packed