After five years of drought conditions, wildfires across California remain a common occurrence. At the moment, the Clayton Fire in Lake County and the Bluecut Fire in the San Bernardino National Forest are causing tens of thousands of residents to evacuate. The Bluecut Fire alone has consumed more than 30,000 acres, and has forced the evacuation of more than 82,000 people. In Lake County, a man was arrested and charged with arson for starting the wildfire that has destroyed more than 175 buildings so far. Below are images from the past few days of the destruction, and those who are battling the blazes, rescuing people and animals, and those caught up int he chaos.
California Wildfires Drive Tens of Thousands From Their Homes
Hints:
View this page full screen.
Skip to the next and previous photo by typing j/k or ←/→.
-
![]()
Read moreA firefighter with the Elk Mountain Hotshots listens to instructions before cutting down burned trees that were destroyed in the Clayton Fire in Lower Lake, California, on August 16, 2016. #
Gabrielle Lurie / AFP / Getty -
-
![]()
Read moreA truck burns on Main Street in the town of Lower Lake, California, on August 14, 2016. A Cal Fire spokeswoman Suzie Blankenship said the fire was creating its own weather pattern and shifted direction Sunday afternoon into populated areas. #
Josh Edelson / AP -
![]()
Read moreDarcy Schmidt, left, and Alex Green, right, hustle to evacuate as flames approach their uncle's home off Bonham Road near Lower Lake, California, on August 14, 2016. #
Josh Edelson / AP -
![]()
Read moreFreelance photographer Noah Berger rescues a goat while on assignment for the San Francisco Chronicle as flames envelop a property off Bonham Road near Lower Lake, on August 14, 2016. #
Josh Edelson / AP -
-
![]()
Read moreA home burns near the town of Lower Lake, California, on August 14, 2016. #
Josh Edelson / AP -
![]()
Read moreA DC-10 fire fighting aircraft makes a fire retardant drop while following its lead plane while battling the Clayton Fire north of Lower Lake, on August 15, 2016. #
Stephen Lam / Reuters -
![]()
Read moreMarijuana plants are covered in fire retardant near the remains of a burned out house in Lower Lake on August 15, 2016. #
Josh Edelson / AP -
-
![]()
Read moreIn this August 14, 2016, photo, a firefighter battles flames as a house is engulfed in the town of Lower Lake. #
Josh Edelson / AP -
![]()
Read moreBurned residences, vehicles and a swimming pool line a fire-ravaged neighborhood after the Clayton Fire burned through Lower Lake on August 16, 2016. #
Gabrielle Lurie / AFP / Getty -
![]()
Read moreA partially melted thermometer is seen on a house that survived after a fire tore through Lower Lake on August 16, 2016. #
Josh Edelson / AP -
-
![]()
Read moreMelted plastic parts on a truck, near flames in Lower Lake on August 16, 2016. #
Josh Edelson / AP -
![]()
Read moreCal Fire San Mateo-Santa Cruz Battalion Chief Aldo Gonzales feeds an injured kitten at a home while battling the Clayton Fire on August 15, 2016. #
Stephen Lam / Reuters -
![]()
Read moreAn injured kitten is tended to by Cal Fire San Mateo-Santa Cruz Battalion Chief Aldo Gonzales during the Clayton Fire on August 15, 2016. #
Stephen Lam / Reuters -
-
![]()
Read morePeople look on as its announced that Damin Pashilk, seen here in a poster on display at Twin Pines Casino, is the arsonist allegedly responsible for a wildfire that exploded over the weekend in a Northern California town, in Middletown, California, on August 15, 2016. Pashilk is being charged with 17 counts of arson and is in jail. #
Josh Edelson / AP -
![]()
Read moreAn air tanker drops fire retardant on the Bluecut wildfire in Lytle Creek, California, on August 16, 2016. The fire is currently 9,000 plus acres, with 700 personnel on scene. Fifty-seven engines, 8 crews, 8 air tankers, 2 Very Large Air Tankers (VLATS), with additional firefighters and equipment on order. There is imminent threat to public safety, rail traffic and structures. With this being a very quickly growing wildfire, evacuation instructions have been issued. #
Ringo Chiu / AFP / Getty -
![]()
Read moreFlames burn structures and vehicles as the Bluecut wildfire rages near Cajon Pass, north of San Bernardino, California on August 16, 2016. #
Ringo Chiu / AFP / Getty -
-
![]()
Read moreThe Bluecut wildfire burns houses and trees near Cajon Pass on August 16, 2016. #
Ringo Chiu / AFP / Getty -
![]()
Read moreA chicken runs by a chicken coop that burns with some animals still inside at the Bluecut Fire in the San Bernardino National Forest on August 16, 2016. #
Gene Blevins / Reuters -
![]()
Read moreA barbecue and other items burn as the Bluecut wildfire rages near Cajon Pass on August 16, 2016. #
Ringo Chiu / AFP / Getty -
-
![]()
Read moreFirefighters work on the Bluecut wildfire near Cajon Pass, north of San Bernardino, on August 16, 2016. #
Ringo Chiu / AFP / Getty -
![]()
Read moreThe sun sets through smoky skies from the so-called Bluecut Fire in the San Bernardino National Forest on August 16, 2016. #
Gene Blevins / Reuters
We want to hear what you think about this article. Submit a letter to the editor or write to [email protected].