Bill Radke speaks with Ben Hale, a new wildfire fighter with the Washington state Department of Natural Resources, about why he wanted to become a wildfire fighter. This will be Hale's first season fighting wildfires.
KUOW's environment beat brings you stories on the ongoing cleanup of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation, alternative energy, the health of the Puget Sound, coal transportation and more. We're also partnered with several stations across the Northwest to bring you environmental news via EarthFix.
New wildfire fighter: 'It's something we can't not do'

Flickr Photo/USDAgov (CC BY 2.0)/https://flic.kr/p/wWtrYh