Summary

This section opens by Alexie recalling a huge forest fire in August 2015 that burned on his reservation, within feet of the abandoned uranium mine. The U.S. government had sent a representative to address the growing concerns and Alexie’s sister sent him updates of the meeting. He recalls her text that read, “The government guy just said the USA doesn’t believe the forest fire presents a serious danger to the Spokane Indian community, even if the fire burns right through the uranium mine” (239).

The forest fire burned roughly 40,000 acres on Alexie’s reservation. In Seattle at the time, Alexie watched the fires progress from the U.S. Forest Service website. His family was ordered to evacuate, and Alexie recalls his conversation with them: “'Is the air okay?' I texted. 'It hurts a little to breathe,' my sister texted back...