Firefighters Battle the Infernos of Climate Change

Colorado firefighter Don Whittemore has battled some of the state’s fiercest forest fires over the past several decades. He and others in his profession are now increasingly responding to record-breaking blazes as a result of higher temperatures caused by climate change. Drier and disease-ridden forests have accelerated the scale and intensity of the flames, creating a volatile situation for those on the front lines of the fight. Production company The Story Group documents the experiences of Whittemore and other firefighters as they weigh the risks of combatting escalating infernos. “On a day-to-day basis, we’re being surprised, and in this business, surprise is what kills people,” says Whittemore.

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The Short Film Showcase spotlights exceptional short videos created by filmmakers from around the web and selected by National Geographic editors. We look for work that affirms National Geographic’s mission of inspiring people to care about the planet. The filmmakers created the content presented, and the opinions expressed are their own, not those of the National Geographic Society.

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