When we started this project in August of 2024 we were focused on the fact that 18 out of the 20 most destructive fires in California’s history have happened in the last 25 years, and 15 of them in the last 10 years. Everything changed when we started recording and fires spread all over the region.

If you live in the Western United States, there is a high likelihood you have been directly or indirectly affected by wildfires. That is why we launched this series, to explore this phenomenon and connect with those who have studied fires, written about fires, fought the fires on the ground, raised funds to protect the land, and created technology to keep all of us aware of where the fire is and where we need to be to remain safe.

This is an introduction to Season One of The Fire Problem. In this episode we document the year 2025, with context from our past, and we learn moving forward. In this episode we highlight conversations with guests from this series, including award-winning author, John Vaillant, who talks about his book, Fire Weather: A True Story from a Hotter World; Nick Mott and Justin Angle, award-winning podcasters and authors of This Is Wildfire; David Weinstein and Hugh Coxe of Trust for Public Land, serving as the Northern Rockies Program Director and Project Manager in California; Chief Brian Fennessy of the Orange County Fire Authority; and John Mills, CEO and co-founder of WatchDuty.

The Fire Problem is an education program that considers unresolved symptoms of The Fire Problem. This special podcast series will examine and explain underlying challenges and vulnerabilities with our climate, environment, politics, and vegetation. Conversations with conservationists, first responders, historians, politicians, scientists, technologists, tribal leaders, and more will help diagnose our situation with opportunities for treatment. Human influence is at the heart of The Fire Problem and our goal is to learn from past neglect and failure and plan for a future of education and prevention.

Produced with Wilkinson College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences at Chapman University with support from the Orange County Community Foundation.

Guests: John Vaillant, Nick Mott and Justin Angle, Chief Brian Fennessy, David Weinstein and Hugh Coxe, and John Mills
Host: Jon-Barrett Ingels
Produced by: Past Forward
Date recorded: December 2, 2025

Past Forward is providing this podcast as a public service. The views expressed by guests are their own and their appearance on the program does not imply an endorsement of them or any entity they represent. Please read our Program and Product Disclaimer for more information.