Life on Fire

About the Show

"Life on Fire" paints survival stories around different volcanoes. From the dark abyss to pristine snow-capped peaks, spectacular scenery provides the backdrop for the extraordinary animals and plants that have learned to juggle with fire. Each time a volcano erupts, animals have a choice: face the consequences or flee.

And because these animals are adapted to living with fire, often they run straight into another volcano and another explosion — out of the frying pan into the fire. Fragile and engaging, these creatures teach us lessons in survival in a world as fascinating as it is dangerous.

Like humans, volcanoes have a natural life cycle: they are born, live for a period then die. Surrounding these giants of fire and ash, natural selection has only retained those capable of adapting to the three phases of an eruption: before, during and after. To give a comprehensive vision of these phenomena, the series shows a number of different volcanoes.

Each film is shot in a specific environment: Tropical island volcanoes in Ash Runners, marine and deep abyss volcanoes in Pioneers of the Deep, high latitude volcanoes in The Surprise Salmon and high altitude tropical volcanoes in Phoenix Temple. Volcanoes remind us that we are part of nature: we can’t defy their destructive forces. Even we have to face their wrath or flee.