A record of events from ABC reporters on the ground during our worst ever fire season The bushfires that burnt across Australia from June 2019 to February 2020 were unprecedented. By the time the rains came, they had devoured more than 18 million hectares of bushland, destroyed nearly 3000 homes, claimed the lives of 34 people, killed about a billion animals and driven more to the brink of extinction. The heartbreak, pain, loss and uncertainty has been felt far and wide. These were fires that affected nearly everyone along the east coast directly or indirectly, and touched the hearts of people across the country. But out of the tragedies, the fear, the lost homes, the burnt forests, the bleak holidays, the unrelenting smoke, have come stories of courage and community. ABC reporters on the ground during the crisis brought many of these stories into the homes of the nation. This book contains updates of these stories and others, as well as reflections on how such a crisis occurred and what we learnt. It is both a record of the events and a tribute to those who endured, escaped, fought and in some cases paid the ultimate price in the awful conflagrations that consumed our summer.