© 2026 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Why Does This Swamp Keep Catching Fire?

Season 3 Episode 5 | 13m 25s

In 2011, a fire in the Great Dismal Swamp burned for 111 days. Even a foot of rain from Hurricane Irene failed to extinguish it. The reason was hidden underground in layers of peat, one of Earth's most important carbon stores. What started this fire reveals a surprising story about climate change, America's complicated history, and one of the continent's most remarkable landscapes.

Aired: 06/26/26
Extras
Get a sneak peek at a brand new season of NATURE on PBS.
Celebrate the life and career of Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver.
Global Black liberation movements converge in 1960s Montreal.
The stormy wet season of Jirrbal returns and a baby glider must escape the wall of flame.
Traditional burns are methods First Nations people have managed for thousands of years.
With their sticky feet, geckos climb up the Kimberley’s labyrinth of caves in style.
Explore and look closely at many things in the Enchanted Garden along with Daniel Tiger.
Learn along with Daniel Tiger about all the sights and sounds of different bathrooms.
Put your creative skills to the test and build a boat with Daniel Tiger and Ana Platypus!
There are lots of different clothes that neighbors wear... Let's dress up and pretend.
Latest Episodes
All
  • All
  • Overview Season 3
  • Overview Season 2
  • Overview Season 1
Our thermal drones exposed pollution from a massive AI data center powering the AI boom.
America’s most toxic lake may also be one of its most overlooked resources.
Scientists are studying solar storms in the aurora that can disrupt satellites and power grids.
Each fall in Costa Rica, one of nature's strangest spectacles takes place–a tsunami of sea turtles.
The West Texas desert has a surprising feature: a prehistoric ocean reef.
The Caribbean town of Plymouth lies frozen in the ash of a devastating volcano.
Meet the axolotl, Mexico City’s endangered, smiling salamander.
North Carolina’s Outer Banks may be one of the most dangerous coastlines in the world.
Florida's once endangered crocodiles are making a very unlikely comeback!
Scientists find the exact time of a massive quake using trees, soil and human records.