Plot Synopsis

LIFE ON FIRE chronicles the struggles and adaptations required for animals and plants to survive near volcanoes. Volcanoes change landscapes and destroy civilizations, but more than two billion years ago, they also breathed life into our world. From the ocean abyss to snow-covered summits, this six-part series also highlights spectacular scenery that provides the backdrop for wildlife that has juggled their existence with their fiery surroundings. Each one-hour episode features a different them, including: "Icelandic Volcanoes," identifying which volcano may awaken next as well as the consquences of its eruption; "Volcano Doctors," highlighting how volcanologists try to predict eruptions; "The Surprise Salmon," showcasing what may have happened when a race of salmon faced the death of their natal river in Alaska and were forced back to the open ocean; "Phoenix Temple," chronicling nature's struggles to conquer ash and lava before the next eruption of Nicaragua's Masaya Volcano; "Ash Runners," showing how animals on New-Britain, off the coast of Papua New Guinea, have learned to live with the Earth's moods; and "Pioneers of the Deep," documenting how sooty terns and Alvin shrimp have learned to cope with conditions in the Tongan archipelago.