Emily Fischer encounters Cameron Peak Fire while backpacking with family

As an atmospheric chemist who studies wildfire smoke, Associate Professor Emily Fischer knew better than most the danger heading her way when she saw a plume of smoke while backpacking with family Thursday.

“I immediately shouted to my husband, ‘We have to get out now.’ We just grabbed the kids’ hands and we ran out six miles,” Fischer said.

She and her family are safe. But Colorado’s air might not be.

Read more about her harrowing adventure, and why we should be wary of breathing the smoky air, in the Colorado Public Radio story, “When Wildfire Smoke Meets Coronavirus, It’s a ‘Real Public Health Issue’ for Colorado.”

Photo at top: Smoke billows from the Cameron Peak Fire north of Rocky Mountain National Park on Aug. 13, 2020. Photo by Emily Fischer and Peter Girard