Extreme heat is taking a toll on firefighters as wildfires stretch crews to the limit

Wildland firefighters light a backfire while battling a fire near Mariposa, Calif., in 2022. David McNew/AFP via Getty Images

When a wildfire threatens a community, most people don’t think to ask whether the firefighters coming to help slept enough the night before, recovered from the previous day’s shift or have enough energy left for another day on the fire line. They simply expect firefighters to show up.

But that workforce is increasingly being stretched to its limits.