Over the past two years, California has endured some of the most extreme and fast-moving wildfires in its history. This photo essay documents not just the intensity of the flames but the human toll, environmental devastation, and resilience in the face of catastrophe. Shot across multiple wildfire events, the project captures the immediate chaos of evacuations, the bravery of firefighters, and the eerie stillness of scorched communities left behind.
As a photojournalist deeply embedded in these scenes, I aimed to create a body of work that transcends dramatic visuals and reflects the broader ecological and societal consequences of our changing climate. These images bear witness to the intersection of human vulnerability, natural disaster, and climate urgency — where fire becomes both a destroyer and a revealer of systemic fragility.
This story is not just about fire; it’s about our future.
Afterglow
As night falls glowing embers stretch across a charred hillside under a starlit sky in San Diego County during the Lilac Fire on January 21 2025 The long exposure reveals a quiet smoldering landscape a slow-motion reminder that the damage continues long after the flames pass
Left Behind
Abandoned by their owners in the rush to evacuate goats stand motionless as flames approach a home during the Thompson Fire in Oroville California on July 2 2024 Under a searing heatwave and statewide red flag warnings the fire pushed through rural properties with little resistance turning scenes of pastoral calm into symbols of impending catastrophe
A House Disappears
A home is completely engulfed by flames during the Eaton Fire in Altadena Los Angeles County on January 8 2025 Fueled by winds with gusts to 100mph the blaze moved too quickly for many residents to defend their homes or safely evacuate The Eaton and Palisades fires combined destroyed more than 16 000 structures and caused over 100 billion in damage making them the most destructive and costly wildfires in California history
Edge of the Inferno
Law enforcement officers stand on the shore of Lake Oroville as the Thompson Fire rages across the hills on July 2 2024 A record-breaking heatwave and red flag conditions fueled the blaze turning the lake s edge into a frontline between civilization and climate-driven chaos
Air Drop
An air tanker drops a plume of fire retardant on a home during the Toll Fire in Calistoga California on July 2 2024 With temperatures soaring under a relentless heatwave red flag conditions turned neighborhoods like this into battlegrounds in the fight to stop wildfire from reaching the urban edge
Futile Effort
Firefighters rush towards a fully engulfed apartment building during the Eaton Fire in Altadena Los Angeles County on January 8 2025 The Eaton and Palisades fires together burned more than 16 000 homes and became the most destructive and costly wildfires in California s history inflicting more than 100 billion in damages according to recent estimates
The School Burns
Firefighters prepare to battle flames inside the auditorium of Eliot Arts Magnet Middle School during the Eaton Fire in Altadena Los Angeles County on January 8 2025 With classrooms still filled with students belongings the blaze tore through the campus as the fire overwhelmed neighborhoods and institutions alike Gaining access inside an actively burning public school is rare this image captures a moment where even our most protected spaces could not withstand the state s most destructive wildfire season which left more than 16 000 homes in ashes and caused an estimated 100 billion in damage
Evacuating the Vulnerable
Elderly patients are quickly evacuated into emergency vehicles as embers and flames surround a retirement home during the Eaton fire in Pasadena California on January 07 2025 Multiple fast-moving wildfires broke out in Los Angeles county burning buildings and causing thousands to evacuate as life threatening winds whipped the region with up to 100mph gusts Frightened residents abandoned their cars to flee on foot while firefighters and emergency personnel quickly became overwhelmed
Surrounded by Fire
As flames close in from all sides residents Grant and Andrea Douglas watch their community burn from a roadside while evacuating during the Park Fire near Paynes Creek in Tehama County California on July 26 2024 The suspected arson-driven blaze exploded to more than 180 000 acres in just days destroying more than 400 homes and forcing thousands to flee Moments like this caught between survival and helplessness have become increasingly common in a state where wildfire season now stretches year-round
The Blue Car
In this aerial view from a helicopter scorched homes smolder near Malibu California on January 9 2025 after the Palisades Fire swept through the area Amid the flattened ruins one blue Volkswagen untouched by the flames stands out as a rare trace of color and contrast in a sea of ash The Palisades and Eaton fires together destroyed over 16 000 structures displacing thousands and marking the most destructive wildfire season in California s history
Fire Sale
A For Sale sign stands at a smoldering home during the Eaton Fire in Altadena Los Angeles County on January 8 2025 As flames tore through this neighborhood the sign became a haunting reminder of what was lost and of California s increasingly fragile housing landscape The Eaton and Palisades fires together destroyed over 16 000 structures and inflicted more than 100 billion in damage making them the most costly wildfires in state history br
Nothing Left
Tina Haworth walks through the ashes of what once was her home in Altadena California on January 9 2025 one day after the Eaton Fire tore through her neighborhood Like thousands of Californians that week she returned to nothing but rubble a deeply personal chapter in what has become the most destructive wildfire season in state history