Fire in the Eucalypts: A Wildland Firefighter’s Memoir of the Black Saturday Bushfires

On February 7, 2009, devastating fires ravaged the Australian countryside throughout the State of Victoria. Eight years of consecutive drought coupled with record breaking temperatures caused the fires to burn at an unprecedented rate destroying entire communities and claiming the lives of 173 people. This tragic event would become known as “Black Saturday.” Fire in the Eucalypts is the memoir of a Canadian firefighter working alongside the Australian wildland firefighters during that unforgettable fire season. His journey from training camp to firefighter would ultimately take him directly into the heart of Australia’s worst natural disaster in history.