Few photographers can claim to know as much about forest fires as Aaron Colussi. For the past decade, the Fort Collins–based photographer, videographer, and director has embedded with U.S. Forest Service fire crews across the country. The 40-year-old has shivered through bitter-cold morning briefings, sweat alongside firefighters as they battled major blazes, and choked on smoke on the front lines.
Next week, those years of experience culminate in the debut of his new documentary, Fire Lives Here, created in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service and the National Forest Foundation. The 30-minute film chronicles a year of fire in Colorado’s Arapaho-Roosevelt National Forest, from routine prescribed burns to the destructive, human-caused Alexander Mountain Fire.
Colussi aims to show viewers that forest fire isn’t always a disaster to be feared, but rather, a natural and necessary part of the ecosystem. “The biggest takeaway is for people to know that we want fire—on our own terms,” he says. Fire Lives Here will make its PBS broadcast debut at 3 p.m. on October 5 and is currently streaming on PBS.org…