From PBS Terra.

Watch the premiere and join Host Maiya May and Director Trip Jennings for a LIVE CHAT March 19th at 4pm PT (7pm ET).

It is WILD how often cities used to burn down. So when fires ripped through LA at the beginning of 2025, we wondered: are urban firestorms BACK?

In 1871, nearly a third of Chicago burned down. In 1889, 25 blocks of Seattle went up in flames. Modern buildings and firefighting solved the problem. So, how is this happening again? And why is it getting worse? To find out, we went to LA while the fires were still burning. Our crew was on the ground from day one. We interviewed top fire officials and leading scientists. And, we learned exactly what went wrong in LA – and the ONE THING that could stop these UNSTOPPABLE fires.

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