Fire Escape

Amika Mota was a young mother, a midwife, and the daughter of a feminist icon. One night she caused a fatal crash that would separate her from her family and brand her as a criminal.

Trapped inside prison, looking for any way out, she gets the call to join an all-female crew of incarcerated firefighters. When the alarm sounds, they drive out into the community on fire trucks as heroes – pulling bodies from crash scenes, saving lives and fighting fire. Every call brings her the chance to reclaim the world she lost.

Hosted by Anna Sussman from Snap Studios at KQED. Snap Studios is home to the Snap Judgment and Spooked podcasts.

Last refreshed: July 4th, 2025 at 6:57 PM ⓘ

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Episodes

Bonus Episode: Adrianna with special Guest Sukey Lewis | 10

This BONUS episode of Fire Escape is available exclusively for Wondery+ and Amazon Music subscribers. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting www.wondery.com/links/fire-escape now. No one ever comes back to Chowchilla once they have been freed from prison. But as a Fire Girl, Adrianna Montiel had saved lives and battled blazes hand in hand with the Chowchilla Volunteer Fire Department for years. When it came time for her release, the one pla...

Feb 20, 2025•38 min•Ep. 10

Bonus Episode: Jodi with Special Guest Stephanie Foo | 9

This BONUS episode of Fire Escape is available exclusively for Wondery+ and Amazon Music subscribers. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting www.wondery.com/links/fire-escape now. As a kid at home reading National Geographic, Jodi Biers found an article about smoke jumpers – women who jumped out of helicopters to fight wildfires. Jodi knew that she’d found her calling. But when her firefighting crew suffers a catastrophe, Jodi’s life spun o...

Feb 20, 2025•38 min•Ep. 9

Bonus Episode: KD with Special Guest Earlonne Woods | 8

This BONUS episode of Fire Escape is available exclusively for Wondery+ and Amazon Music subscribers. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting www.wondery.com/links/fire-escape now. From one of California's most notorious juvenile detention centers, a 16-year-old girl named KD joins fire camp. There she fights wildfires side-by-side with free firefighters, dropping in from helicopters, sawing down trees, and securing ridgelines. When she's re...

Feb 19, 2025•41 min•Ep. 8

Bonus Episode: Brittany with Special Guest Anna Sale | 7

Brittany Davies' house burned to the ground when she was a little girl. She was kept on life support for months until she miraculously awoke in the hospital. As a mom, her life came to a screeching halt when she faced losing contact with her own child. Special guest Anna Sale, host of the podcast Death, Sex & Money joins us in the studio to talk about Brittany's story, and what happens when mothers are separated from their children. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and Califor...

Feb 19, 2025•37 min•Ep. 7

Worthy | 6

The Fire Girls blast their sirens to salute Amika as she is released from prison after seven years. She has no career, no home, no money, and teenage children who have been waiting for their mom to return. But the hardest part of regaining her freedom, would be believing that she is worthy. Follow Fire Escape on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can get access to exclusive bonus episodes available only on Wondery+ or Amazon Music with your Prime membership. Join Wondery+ in ...

Dec 30, 2024•33 min•Ep. 6

Release | 5

As wildland fires burn hotter and stronger across California, Amika and the incarcerated firefighters are put in extreme danger. At a massive, out of control fire, Amika must defy orders for the sake of the women on her crew. Follow Fire Escape on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can get access to exclusive bonus episodes available only on Wondery+ or Amazon Music with your Prime membership. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial ...

Dec 23, 2024•31 min•Ep. 5

Reckoning | 4

Amika and the Fire Girls are called to the scene of a terrible crash and need to rescue the passengers from the wreckage. Amika realizes the driver of the car is intoxicated. While saving his life, she reckons with lives lost and the harsh future awaiting the young patient. Back at the firehouse, Amika’s crew are called out to a Christmas Eve emergency. Follow Fire Escape on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can get access to exclusive bonus episodes available only on Wonder...

Dec 16, 2024•33 min•Ep. 4

Caught | 3

At the firehouse, Amika plans a drop – a secret plan to sneak forbidden cell phones to her friends still on the inside. She begins to worry she might get caught. And then she’s called to an emergency involving one of her jailers. Follow Fire Escape on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can get access to exclusive bonus episodes available only on Wondery+ or Amazon Music with your Prime membership. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free tr...

Dec 09, 2024•30 min•Ep. 3

Escape | 2

Amika is thrown in the hole for forty days. Locked in a windowless cell, she can hear the women through the walls losing their sanity. To protect herself, Amika must shut down all connections with everyone she loves: her cellies, her mom, and even her kids. The world looks dark until she sees a small light that may illuminate a path to her new life when she gets a call from the firehouse. Follow Fire Escape on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can get access to exclusive bon...

Dec 09, 2024•29 min•Ep. 2

The Crash | 1

Follow Fire Escape on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can get access to exclusive bonus episodes available only on Wondery+ or Amazon Music with your Prime membership. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting www.wondery.com/links/fire-escape now. How did Amika Mota go from a midwife and mother of three to a prisoner inside one of the largest women's prisons on Earth? Handcuffed to a hospital bed, awaiting trial, Amika ...

Nov 13, 2024•33 min•Ep. 1

Introducing: Fire Escape

Binge all episodes of Fire Escape early and ad-free right now by signing up for Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify or Amazon Music with your Prime Membership. Start your free trial by visiting www.wondery.com/links/fire-escape now. Amika Mota was a young mother, a midwife, and the daughter of a feminist icon. One night she caused a fatal crash that would separate her from her family and brand her as a criminal. Trapped inside prison, looking for any way out, she gets the call...

Nov 06, 2024•3 min

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