The Beast—that was the name residents gave the terrifying wildfire that swept through Fort McMurray, Alberta, in May 2016. Within days, the fire had destroyed some 2,400 buildings, caused nearly US$6.7 billion in damage, and forced the evacuation of 88,000 people. The blaze was intensified by record-breaking heat during the week leading up to the fire, as temperatures spiked to 90°F, about 40 degrees above normal for northern Canada at that time of year. Fort McMurray is located at the center of the Alberta tar sands, one of the most carbon-intensive petroleum sources on the planet.

This article appeared in the January/February 2019 edition with the headline "Afterburn."