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When fires move from nature into neighborhoods, however, they encounter a drastically different set of fuels. Urban conflagrations consume a mix of synthetic and natural materials, including homes, vehicles, electronics and household chemicals. This creates a unique set of problems that can have far-reaching consequences for waterways and the creatures that call them home.

As an environmental engineer, I study how human actions on land affect the chemistry and ecology of surface water systems, including an important group of stream dwellers: benthic macroinvertebrates. These tiny creatures, which include mayflies, stone flies and caddis flies, are not only food sources for fish and other stream life but also serve as nature's own water quality monitors.

In November 2018, the Camp Fire devastated the town of Paradise, California, destroying over 18,000 homes and other structures. In the aftermath of this tragic event, my colleagues and I examined the effects of large-scale urban burning on the chemistry of nearby watersheds.