On December 30, 2021, a fast-moving wildfire that covered six thousand acres destroyed over a thousand homes in the towns of Louisville and Superior in Boulder County, Colorado.

For today’s show, Monday host Patty Peltekos talks about the Marshall Fire, its effects on local residents, and what it means in the context of climate change and year-round wildfire seasons with Stacy Feldman from the Boulder Reporting Lab and professor Christine Wiedinmyer.

They discuss Christine’s evacuation experience, the work of the Boulder Reporting Lab, droughts in the West, wildfire smoke and air quality in Colorado, the enormous cleanup and aftermath of the Marshall Fire, and more.

Stacy Feldman is the founder and publisher of the Boulder Reporting Lab. Previously, she was co-founder and executive editor of Inside Climate News.

Christine Wiedinmyer is the associate director for science at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at the University of Colorado Boulder.

You can read Christine Wiedinmyer’s piece published by the Boulder Reporting Lab about mitigating the harmful effects of post-fire smoke here.

Cover photo: Fire Danger sign in Colorado, 2009 by FEMA, shared under public domain

Did you enjoy this story? Your funding makes great, local journalism like this possible. Donate here