When It All Burns

Fighting Fire in a Transformed World

By: Jordan Thomas

Narrated by: Jordan Thomas

A hotshot firefighter’s gripping firsthand account of a record-setting fire season

Eighteen of California’s largest wildfires on record have burned in the past two decades. Scientists recently invented the term “megafire” to describe wildfires that behave in ways that would have been nearly impossible just a generation ago, burning through winter, exploding in the night, and devastating landscapes historically impervious to incendiary destruction.

In When It All Burns, wildland firefighter and anthropologist Jordan Thomas recounts a single, brutal six-month fire season with the Los Padres Hotshots—the special forces of America’s firefighters. Being a hotshot is among the most difficult jobs on earth. Thomas viscerally renders his crew’s attempts to battle flames that are often too destructive to contain. He uncovers the hidden cultural history of megafires, revealing how humanity’s symbiotic relationship with wildfire became a war—and what can be done to change it back.

Thomas weaves ecology and the history of Indigenous peoples' oppression, federal forestry, and the growth of the fire industrial complex into a riveting narrative about a new phase in the climate crisis. It's an immersive story of community in the most perilous of circumstances, told with humor, humility, and affection.


* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF containing a map of the wildfires fought by Los Padres Hotshot Crew in California in 2001.

A fascinating and informative view view into fire ecology, fire culture and, the politics. Surrounding fire.

As an ecologist in California, I found Jordan Thomas's When It All Burns incredibly relatable. My experience in agricultural systems, particularly with invasive insects and plant health, has shown me firsthand how certain modern practices have impacted our natural landscapes over time. Much like the forest systems Jordan discusses, I’ve always envisioned transitioning my expertise toward forest resilience, a passion rooted in my master’s research on nutrient transport in forest ecosystems.

One of the key insights Jordan highlights is how Indigenous peoples around the world have long used fire to manage their environments, recognizing that we evolved alongside fire as a natural part of the landscape. Similarly, Indigenous agricultural practices have always viewed the land as a partner rather than a resource to be exploited, and this perspective is crucial as we move toward more sustainable practices. This book is a must-read for anyone looking to understand the intricate connections between human activity and the natural world. Thank you, Jordan, for such an inspiring and insightful contribution.

Timely and very relevant

This book is one of those essential reads to understand California wildfires. I appreciate the hopefulness of Jordan Thomas’s conclusion and pray for the future he believes could happen.

Life as a Hotshot and impact of fire within our lands.

I’d like to start by saying I’m a former wildland firefighter which I spent 9 of my 15 years as a hotshot in the central Sierras. The book takes me back to my rookie year as a hotshot and the camaraderie and hardships of being on a hotshot crew. When It All Burns will take you through the life of a hotshot but also the fragile balance of fire within land management.

Cutting Line, Carving Truth

I came to know Jordan while he was living the story that would eventually become this book. I witnessed, from the sidelines, some of the deep work that went into it—the intense training, the physical, mental, and emotional toll he endured. Yet his story still caught me off guard, taking me on a provocatively thrilling and illuminating journey.

What’s truly special is that Thomas didn’t just observe—he immersed. He earned the coveted role of sawyer and the trust of his crew through sheer grit and discipline, carrying his chainsaw up steep ridgelines to cut fireline. I’ve hiked with him firsthand and struggled to keep up—even when he’s in flip-flops. That kind of physicality runs through the book, grounding the intellectual insight in lived experience. Drawing from that frontline work, he dissects conflicting narratives around climate change, politics, history, and even nature itself. When It All Burns is a hard-to-pause, adrenaline-filled, and intellectually expansive account of fire and the forces and faces that shape it.

It also sharpened my pencil as an observer and citizen scientist. Thomas weaves in practical cues—like how to identify a secondary forest that’s previously been clear-cut—that shift how you notice and interpret the landscape around you.

And while not all authors should narrate their own books, Thomas nailed it. His delivery is crisp and clear, with subtle intonation and emphasis that give the audio version that extra layer.

It’s a must-read/listen for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of where these fires are coming from, and how we can better fight fire—with fire.

The descriptions about fire, landscape, fellow hotshots and his studies.

I liked this book for its historical context and real time experiences in the fire service and the connections between them. I couldn’t stop listening to it.. had me hooked.