Everything, including me, is burning. How am I supposed to survive?

I just bought Don't starve. I knew the game was hard, but last time I played it, it was at least somewhat survivable.

Now, when I start the game, the character starts dying from extreme heat. Trees, appliances and critters catch fire too. It's pretty much like playing in hell.

I even died when I decided it's OK to cheat for full health under these circumstances - the forest around me cached fire and I died pretty much instantly.

I know I can craft Endothermic fire, which cools character down. But to craft it, I first need to collect lot of items. But I can't walk out of tree's shadow, because the heat will kill me.

How am I supposed to survive? My record so far is 5 days while cheating!

It looks like you started the game in Summer. This is the hardest season to start in, by default the game starts in Autumn, giving you three seasons to prepare for summer. That way, you have time to craft a thermal, an endothermic fire, gather some ice, build a flingo or a summer base. A fridge and two thermals work wonders.

Starting in summer is probably meant for some pro players who like a challenge (like having a game in eternal night, with only darkness). Should you really want to do it, try these:

• Try playing as Wickerbottom: the extra science layer allows you to build a lot of things without needing a science machine.
• Grab twigs & flint fast, and mine for 2 nitre. Grab 3 grass, build an endothermic fire. Don't let it go out!
• Don't go inside a forest at day - if it burns, you'll be trapped.
• Try the desert: cactus + flowers are quite worth it, and there is less stuff to burn there.
• Some protective clothing or the shade from an umbrella or a hat can help too!

If you still can't survive, you might consider disabling wildfires at the start of the game, so you can learn with only the heat. Once you manage, try again with wildfires until you got it.