9NEWS (Denver): Three years ago, I had never covered a wildfire in my life. I’m from New England, and although we still have Smokey Bear warning us, wildfire season does not exist there.

Colorado gave me my first taste in 2018 with the Weston Pass Fire. I suited up in borrowed a flame-resistant Nomex, wore my hiking boots and then stood miles away from any flames at the road closures in Fairplay.

The Nomex felt like overkill as people went about their day around me wearing flip flops and T-shirts.

A few months later, a colleague and I were asked to help our sister station cover wildfires in northern California. The Carr Fire was burning through communities and our crews needed some relief from working long hours.

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