Ben McLane has grown accustomed to spending summers under ashen skies. As a fire captain for the US Forest Service (USFS), he’ll spend days on the fire line, engaged in harrowing battles to contain infernos as they devour trees across the Pacific north-west.
But even in these harsh conditions, the stresses from home frequently creep into his mind. McLane, and other federal firefighters like him, are struggling to make ends meet as they battle the country’s biggest blazes.
