Fire Story

A graphic memoir by Brian Fies, the author of Mom's Cancer.

Early on the morning of Monday, October 9, 2017, wildfires burned through Northern California, resulting in 44 fatalities. In addition, 8,900 structures, including more than 6,200 homes, were destroyed. One of those homes belonged to author and illustrator Brian Fies and his family.

In the days that followed, Fies hastily pulled together a firsthand account of his experience in a twenty-page online comic, entitled A Fire Story, that went viral. News outlets instantly picked up the story, and it was featured on CNN, in the Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, and Mother Jones, as well as local newspapers and TV stations. More than 700,000 people read the original comic on his blog, and another three million or so saw an animated version produced by San Francisco PBS station KQED that was covered on NPR. In June 2018, the animated short film won a regional Emmy Award for Best Public/Current/Community Affairs--Feature Segment.

Less than a year after the fire, Brian Fies expanded his webcomic into a full-length graphic novel, including environmental insight and the stories of others affected by the disaster. As he did with Mom's Cancer, Fies has taken tragedy and created art, illuminating his experiences and crafting his story to make it universal.

A Fire Story is an honest account of the wildfires that left homes destroyed and families broken. But at its core, it is a story about second acts. It's about what's important in life. It's the story of a community determined to rebuild.