The Cedar Fire--the largest wildfire in California’s recorded history--ravaged the San Diego area in late 2003, burning 280,000 acres, destroying more than 2,200 homes, and killing 15 people.

Leaving her doomed home the night of the catastrophe with her husband, two Newfoundland dogs, and a cockatiel, Sandra Millers Younger drove through flames and was saved by a bobcat that showed her the road she couldn’t find in dense smoke.

In this revealing narrative, she takes readers into the heart of an epic firefight, telling the stories of firefighters scrambling to combat a catastrophe bigger than they’d ever imagined, and recounting both survivors’ and victims’ desperate efforts to escape flames moving faster than fire engines can drive.

The Fire Outside My Window is a riveting and nuanced tale that captures the intensity of a runaway wildfire, honors those lost to its fury, and celebrates the human spirit’s innate capacity to triumph over adversity.