Two years ago tomorrow, scientist Daniel Lack was climbing in the Flatirons near Boulder, when he saw the first plume of smoke from the Fourmile Canyon Fire. It worried him, but he realized it was also an opportunity, so he headed into work. Lack isn’t a firefighter, he’s an atmospheric researcher. He’s interested in how fires contribute to global warming, through something called black carbon. Lack and his colleagues have just published results of their work. Daniel Lack speaks with Ryan Warner. [Photos: Will Von Dauster and Daniel Lack]