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We share what we learn and what we’re doing so that others can learn from us and we can learn from others. Comments welcome!
Curiosity #1: Just when you thought the fire was dead and buried …
Ever think a wildfire is really out? You may need to think again: Meet the Zombie Fire! (Also known as a holdover, duff, root, or sleeper fire.)
The Zombie Fire isn’t the flaming inferno you see on the news. Instead, it’s a sneaky smouldering monster creeping underground, looking for a way to break free.
You see, the ground you walk on may not be as fireproof as you believe. Think about the last time you enjoyed the nice soft springy surface underfoot as you walked through the woods. That looked like a thin layer of damp moss and thick decaying leaves, right? But that might just have been the top of a deep layer of duff, organic matter tunneled through by everything from earthworms to tree roots to cute little bunny rabbits. This material is packed with carbon, stored there over thousands of years as plants die and decay.
It’s also the Zombie Fire’s favorite food. After fire fighters have killed the surface fire, the Zombie Fire may have burrowed into this organic soil layer, and transformed. In its new form it doesn’t need flames or wind to thrive. It smolders — a slow combustion reaction that happens with limited oxygen and at much lower temperatures — slowly turning that stored carbon into smoke and heat. A Zombie Fire can lurk for months, even years, surviving even under frozen ground. After eating along for miles, it can spring forth from its organic grave, giving birth to a new wildfire horror far from where it was first buried.
And that can be very bad: The 2025 Palisades fire was determined to result from a Zombie Fire!
Here’s the mind-blowing part: Per unit area, smoldering fire releases significantly more carbon into the atmosphere than flaming fire. A fast-moving, high-intensity surface fire burns the above-ground material quickly. But the slow, creeping smolder consumes the deep duff layer, releasing the centuries of stored carbon into the air. This makes Zombie Fires a feeder of climate change, not just a local hazard: The carbon released contributes to further warming, which in turn dries out the duff, preparing fuel for future Zombie Fires.
What can you do?
BEFORE the fire: Clear defensible space around your home, making sure to keep deep layers of flammable organic materials like mulch and leaves away from your foundation.
DURING (and after) the fire: Be cautious when walking on burned ground. Smoldering root systems and deep voids can lead to unstable soil and collapse, creating hidden traps disguised as solid ground.
AFTER the fire: Report any persistent, localized smoke or steam rising from the ground, as this could indicate a burrowing Zombie Fire that needs professional attention.
RIGHT NOW: Make a donation today to help Creative Crisis Leadership turn complex science into simple, life-saving knowledge!
Sources
- How This Fire Burns Underground (YouTube short) | Dr. Ben Miles
- Overwintering Fires, British Columbia Wildfire Service, June 2024
- How did the smouldering root fire on New Years Eve turn into the deadly 2025 LA fires? | CTIF
- Rein, Guillermo, and Xinyan Huang. “Smouldering wildfires in peatlands, forests and the arctic: Challenges and perspectives.” Current Opinion in Environmental Science & Health 24 (2021): 100296.
Stay Safe and Be Curious this Holiday Season!
Wildfire Curious: Our Gift to You this Giving Tuesday
At Creative Crisis Leadership, our mission is to foster resilient communities and make disaster preparedness fun for everyone. In the spirit of year-end giving and community connection, we are thrilled to launch our 2025 Holiday Calendar:
Inspired by the Danish roots of our founder, Susanne Jul, this annual calendar lets us give something back to our supporters who don’t get to be part of our games and events (yet!). It is our way of expressing sincere appreciation for your support throughout the year.
What to Expect in December
Each of our 12 calendar entries will offer:
👉 Insights: Making complex wildfire-related science accessible so you can take action.
👉 Fun Facts: Engaging facts you can use for holiday small talk, and reduce the fear we might feel about situations that are part of our lives.
How to Play Along
Good News! If you already follow us on LinkedIn or are subscribed to our Mailing list, the fun will come directly to you! All you have to do is open the message!
Need to sign up? Don’t miss out! Follow us on LinkedIn or sign up for our Mailing list to ensure you receive the season’s special fun.
We hope you play along with us this December. And thank you for your support!
Stay Safe and Be Curious this Holiday Season!
Panel: Insights from Emerging Designers | Nov 14 2025
How do you turn wildfire preparedness into a game?
This summer, a team of early-career designers volunteered their time and creativity to help improve our Wildfire Café Game — a playful way to explore how communities can prepare for and respond to disaster. Working under real-world constraints of time, scope, and purpose, they discovered what it means to design a serious game for real people and real stakes.
Join us for our next Conceptorium, Serious Game Design: Insights from Emerging Designers. In this panel discussion, we’ll hear directly from these volunteers as they share their experiences — what surprised them, what challenged them, and what they learned about creativity, collaboration, and purpose in design.
🗓 Thu Nov 14 | 2:00–3:00 pm PT
📍 Free Zoom session
👉 Register here
This is an opportunity to peek behind the scenes of our work — where imagination meets impact, and play becomes a pathway to resilience.
Commemorating 9/13: Where it all started
It was two days after 9/11. Like many others, I needed to do something, but didn’t know what I could do.
I made a phone call. That led me to the local Red Cross office.
Eventually, it led me to a lifelong passion for disaster management, a profound faith in community, and a firm commitment to what I call “Five Ks of Being a Good Human Being”: Kindness, Caring, Compassion, Courtesy, and Consideration.
24 years later, the divisions exposed by 9/11 are on full display. Civil discourse is no longer civil. The violence and fear tactics we once condemned as tyrannical are increasingly normalized.
I still feel the need to do something. But, today, I know what I can do.
👉 I can lead by example, openly refusing to condone disrespect and violence.
👉 I can embody the Five Ks, and help everyone I encounter feel valued and treated with kindness.
👉 I can promote and support the dedication and efforts of my friends, partners, and colleagues around the world who dedicate their lives to bridging differences and strengthening communities.
👉 I can continue to build Creative Crisis Leadership, empowering people to stand with their neighbors — ALL of their neighbors — to prepare for and overcome crises.
Please join me in my quest to make the world a place where we laugh together rather than cry alone. Take your own actions: Embrace the Five Ks in your daily life, support your local community, and, if you can, consider making a donation to help us inspire action through fun, games, and imagination.
With heartfelt thanks for your support,
— Susanne
May 2025 Newsletter: From Nest to Fledgling
Read the latest update on our journey: From Nest to Fledgling.
And, thank you for being part of our journey and our family.