Fire Weather: On the Front Lines of a Burning World

by John Vaillant

Many of those who make the journey to Fort McMurray find the money they’ve made surprisingly hard to hold on to, and a lot of that intercepted cocaine was destined for people like Jake McManus. I met Jake back in 2010, before he went north at twenty-five with a five-year plan, and I remember thinking, If anyone can pull this off, he can. Jake was a hardworking journeyman, startlingly competent with large, dexterous hands that could fix anything; he had a supportive family, and his father had advised him on a business plan. Up at Site, all expenses paid with as much overtime as he could stand, he was looking at $150,000 a year—to start. He would keep his head down and save it all, he said, and when he looked up again five years later, or even three years later, he would be a player. With a nest egg like that and skills to match, no southern city could say no to him.