The Cal Poly Wildland-Urban Interface FIRE Institute is hosting a free screening of the award-winning documentary “Elemental: Reimagine Wildfire,” at the Spanos Theatre on Oct. 17 at 6 p.m., with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. A Q&A panel, including executive producer of the film Ralph Bloemers and WUI Director Frank Frievalt, will be held after the screening. Reserve a spot today.

Film Synopsis:  “Elemental: Reimagine Wildfire” takes viewers on a journey with the top experts in the nation to better understand fire. The film follows the harrowing escape from Paradise as the town ignited from wind-driven embers and burned within a few hours of the fire’s start. Filmmakers also visit fire labs where researchers torch entire houses to learn why some homes burn and others survive, learn from Native Americans as they employ fire to benefit nature and increase community safety as they have for thousands of years and follow researchers who work to understand the effects of climate on forests and the crucial role that natural forests play in storing vast amounts of carbon. Along the way, people who have survived the deadliest fires to underscore the importance of the quest.