There is no single definition of what makes a single fire the “big one.” But there are some common factors: extreme fire behavior, dramatic fire severity, watersheds burned, and communities threatened. In New Mexico, our big one was (and arguably still is) the 2011 Las Conchas Fire. Even though this isn’t the largest fire on record, it still is the one we talk about most.

In part one of a two-part episode, Cally and Collin talk with Craig Allen from the USGS New Mexico Landscapes Field Station, who has studied fire ecology in New Mexico for over 30 years. He was there during the fire and shared his stories with us.