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When Wildfire Comes: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Christopher Potter, PhD
Hello, my name is Dr. Christopher Potter and I am a wildfire scientist with over 30 years of experience working for NASA, and with local communities impacted by wildland fires. I have studied wildfire on the urban interface using satellite imagery and ground measurements for all of the most destructive fires in the western United States, and I myself live in a high-risk wildfire zone in northern California. In this weekly podcast, titled "When Wildfire Comes", we will hear from a special guest about their close encounter with a major wildfire that occurred during the past several years. This is not a breaking news report, but 30 minutes during which our guest recounts their emotions and their first-hand observations of a wildfire approaching and burning in their town or community, and the lessons to be learned from such a horrifying event.
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- Jul 2, 20261h 5m
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, 2020 when 11,000 bolts of dry lightning were detected as ground strikes in San Mateo and Santa Cruz Counties, igniting hundreds of fires in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Follow along with CALFIRE Chief for Santa Cruz County Nate Armstrong as he describes the fire’s nearly uncontrollable swath of destruction in the numerous steep drainages in Big Basin Redwoods State Park and how the town of Boulder Creek was threatened. A full scientific study of the CZU Fire severity can be found at https://journal.wildlife.ca.gov/2023/04/12/impacts-of-the-czu-lightning-complex-fire-of-august-2020-on-the-forests-of-big-basin-redwoods-state-park/
- Jun 3, 202642 min
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 of Cohasset, CA. Follow along with Chief Pierce as he describes the fire’s nearly uncontrollable path of destruction in the numerous steep drainages in Butte County and how the town of Paradise was again threatened after being completely destroyed by the Camp Fire of 2018. Daily progression of the Park Fire can be seen at https://hiform.org/projects/2024-park-fire-lassen-national-forest-ca
- May 2, 20261h 2m
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 in the towns of Berry Creek and Feather Falls. As the Bear Fire exploded in unprecedented size (burning 220,000 acres in one day) and intensity overnight on September 9, 2020, its plume of smoke eventually covered the entire Sacramento Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area, leading to the event called the "Orange Skies Day" in the Bay Area. Follow along with Chief Messina as he describes 18 hours of the most intensive wildfire to burn in the recent history of the western US. Views of the Bear Fire can be viewed at https://gis.data.cnra.ca.gov/maps/CALFIRE-Forestry::north-complex-structure-status-map/ and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GivCgdNzV2c
- Apr 8, 202647 min
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 meteorologist Richard Thompson describes how the humidity levels during this extreme wind event were driven down to critical levels and cast burning embers into the city of Pacific Palisades to ultimately burn nearly 7000 structures. Listeners can see the progression of the fire into the urban zones of Pacific Palisades by going to the map found at https://the-lookout.org/2025/01/21/progression-of-the-palisades-fire/
- Mar 25, 202629 min
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 structure density, urban biomass fuels, and wind-driven fire behavior contributed to the intensity of this devastating urban incident. The findings are vital for improving future wildfire risk assessments and informing post-fire recovery and rebuilding strategies in densely populated environments. Listeners should go to https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122127036741079001&type=3 to follow along with the presentation slides.
- Mar 13, 202655 min
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 is a climate scientist at the University of California who focuses on the dynamics and impacts of extreme events, including floods, storms, and wildfires. In this episode, Dr. Swain discusses the formation of firestorms and the climate science that explains them.
- Feb 27, 20261h 7m
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 damaged or destroyed several rural communities in the Sierra Nevada mountains, including Greenville, CA. This dynamic visualization (https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4993) shows the spread of the Dixie Fire between July 14 and October 22, 2021, which enables listeners to follow along with Chief Norman, as he describes the fire’s nearly uncontrollable path of mass destruction.
- Feb 6, 202644 min
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, and become difficult to control. Matthew Mehle, Lead Meteorologist and Spotter Program Manager for the San Francisco Bay Area Weather Forecast Office talks in depth about increase in fire weather days across the western U.S. and about the winds that have driven wildland blazes into urban areas across California. This is "master class" on fire weather and climate change.
About When Wildfire Comes
Hello, my name is Dr. Christopher Potter and I am a wildfire scientist with over 30 years of experience working for NASA, and with local communities impacted by wildland fires. I have studied wildfire on the urban interface using satellite imagery and ground measurements for all of the most destructive fires in the western United States, and I myself live in a high-risk wildfire zone in northern California. In this weekly podcast, titled "When Wildfire Comes", we will hear from a special guest about their close encounter with a major wildfire that occurred during the past several years. This is not a breaking news report, but 30 minutes during which our guest recounts their emotions and their first-hand observations of a wildfire approaching and burning in their town or community, and the lessons to be learned from such a horrifying event.
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