Meet Ash, Colorado's canine trained to investigate wildfires

On or off the clock, 16-month-old Ash doesn't stop sniffing out new smells.

"If you and I made a pizza and we smell pizza, she would smell the oregano, the garlic, all the ingredients that make up that pizza, down to even the flour," said Ash's handler, Matt Morgan with Colorado's Division of Fire Prevention & Control.

Ash is an ignitable liquids detection canine trained to sniff out the cause of fires across Colorado. She even has the badge to prove it.

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"Any of your gasoline, diesel, lighter fluid, lamp oil, any of those things... she can detect and alert on," said Morgan.

Since July 1, Ash has been on the front lines of 12 fires, including the Quarry Fire. As soon as the area cools down, Morgan said Ash will get called in to start her work.

The Labrador Retriever can differentiate between 12 different liquids. As soon as she picks up on a scent, she will sit and look at Morgan, pointing her nose exactly at the spot.

"The bond is very strong," said Morgan.

Typically, Ash trains two hours a day. But the reward isn't treats — it's actually her kibble.

As a food reward dog, she must work for her food. Morgan said any treat would distract her from detecting smells.

"There's no days off... even on the weekends," said Morgan.

Ash is also a trained therapy dog, helping families impacted by wildfires.

Matt Morgan

"She kind of de-escalates the situation just by her presence," explained Morgan.

For departments across the state that don't have the manpower to investigate wildfires, Morgan said Ash does just the trick.

"She's a resource and a tool," he said.

The only drawback, Morgan said, is after a long day at work, he owes Ash a full spa treatment.

"We're in black fire scenes all the time, so the presence of soot and everything else getting on their fur is very difficult to clean up and keep clean," laughed Morgan.

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