When Wildfire Comes

Episode 17 - The 2020 Creek Fire with Chief Dustin Hail, Fresno Kings Unit

The 2020 Creek Fire in central California's Sierra National Forest generated an historic pyrocumulonimbus storm cloud and triggered the largest helicopter rescue in Natio

Episode 16 - The Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire in 2022 with Theresa Davis

The 2022 Calf Canyon/Hermits Peak Fire stands as the largest and most destructive wildfire in the history of New Mexico.  The fire burned 341,470 acres between early Apri

Episode 15 – California’s First Gigafire: 2020 August Complex Fire

This episode is in-depth analysis of the August Complex Fire, which was the most massive fire incident that started in August 2020 during the unprecedented lightning wild

Episode 14 - The CZU Complex Fire in 2020 with Chief Nate Armstrong

In the summer of 2020, the CZU Complex Fires destroyed 80,000 acres of coastal old-growth redwood forest ecosystems of central CA.   The wildfires started on August 16, 2

Episode 13 - The Park Fire in 2024 with Chief Jeremey Pierce

The Park Fire is the largest most recent mega-fire in Northern California.   This wildfire damaged several rural communities including burning most structures in the town

Episode 12 - The Bear Fire in 2020 with Chief John Messina

The Bear Fire started in the Plumas National Forest of Butte County CA and became the North Complex Fire in 2020, killing sixteen people and destroying thousands of homes

Episode 11 – The Palisades Fire in 2025 with Richard Thompson, NOAA

The Palisades Fire, which ignited on January 7, 2025, was a catastrophic wildfire in Los Angeles County driven by historically powerful Santa Ana winds.  NOAA incident me

Episode 10 - The Eaton Fire and Devastation of Altadena in 2025

Podcast host Christopher Potter presents a new analysis of the destruction of thousands of homes in Altadena, CA during the Eaton Fire of January 2025. Mapping shows how

Episode 9 – Extreme Fire Weather with Dr. Daniel Swain

Massive cumulonimbus clouds can form over wildfires in the western United States and are likely increasing with the intensity of the wildfires themselves.  Daniel Swain i

Episode 8 - The Dixie Fire in 2021 with Chief Sean Norman

The Dixie Fire was an enormous wildfire that burned almost 1 million acres in Butte, Plumas, Lassen, Shasta, and Tehama counties in Northern California.   The wildfire da

Episode 7 - Fire Weather and Climate Change with Matthew Mehle

Fire weather refers to the specific atmospheric conditions, such as extremely low humidity and high winds, that make it easier for wildfires to ignite, spread rapidly, an

Episode 6 - The Eaton Fire in 2025 with Kelly Etter

On the one-year anniversary of the events of the 2025 wildfires in Los Angeles County, Eaton Fire survivor and Altadena home-owner Kelly Etter recounts a heartfelt story

Episode 5 - The Thomas Fire in 2017 with Andy Ortega

The Thomas Fire started on December 4, 2017, burning 281,893 acres and destroying over 1000 structures, many in the coastal city of Ventura CA.  Andy Ortega, who served f

Episode 4 - The Caldor Fire in 2021 with Captain Brain Newman

The Caldor Fire started on  August 14, 2021, burning 221,835 acres and destroying 1,005 structures in the Eldorado National Forest in northern California. It was the seco

Episode 3 - The Tubbs Fire in 2017 with Captain Matt Tognozzi

The Tubbs Fire in Sonoma and Napa Counties (CA) started on October 8, 2017 and destroyed 5,643 structures, half of which were homes in the city of Santa Rosa, all destroy

Episode 2 - The Glass Fire 2020 with Captain Sean Jerry

The Glass Fire in Sonoma and Napa Counties (CA) started on September 27, 2020 and destroyed 1,555 structures.  CALFIRE Capt Sean Jerry tells the story of how this 67,484

Episode 1 - 1997 Los Gatos Wildfire

In the later afternoon of Aug 8, 1997, I rushed home to Los Gatos, a small town in the Santa Cruz Mountains to the south of San Jose.  A  fire had broken out in the hills