'ONLY THE BRAVE: Wildfire Hotshots' zReportage #756 by ZUMA Press Photographer Paul Kuroda, a Pulitzer finalist and Newspaper Photographer of The Year Winner. Wildfires in California continue to burn, ravaging entire communities and the blazes will soon hit a tragic milestone: 4 million acres burned. The unprecedented fire season has already killed 30 people, burned down thousands of buildings and homes and forced more than 96,000 residents to evacuate. While wildfires are a natural part of California’s landscape, the fire season across the West is starting earlier and ending later each year. Climate change is considered a key driver of this trend. Warmer spring and summer temperatures, reduced snowpack, and earlier spring snowmelt create longer and more intense dry seasons that make forests more susceptible to severe wildfire. Federal Hotshot hand crews are like the special forces of fighting wildfires. Welcome to: 'ONLY THE BRAVE: Wildfire Hotshots'
© Story of the Week of October 6, 2020 on zReportage.com: 'ONLY THE BRAVE: Wildfire Hotshots' zReportage #756 by ZUMA Press Photographer Paul Kuroda, a Pulitzer finalist and Newspaper Photographer of The Year Winner. Wildfires in California continue to burn, ravaging entire communities and the blazes will soon hit a tragic milestone: 4 million acres burned. The unprecedented fire season has already killed 30 people, burned down thousands of buildings and homes and forced more than 96,000 residents to evacuate. While wildfires are a natural part of California’s landscape, the fire season across the West is starting earlier and ending later each year. Climate change is considered a key driver of this trend. Warmer spring and summer temperatures, reduced snowpack, and earlier spring snowmelt create longer and more intense dry seasons that make forests more susceptible to severe wildfire. Federal Hotshot hand crews are like the special forces of fighting wildfires. Welcome to: 'ONLY THE BRAVE: Wildfire Hotshots'

Firefighter ABRAHAM GARCIA stands amid smoke during a lull in the fire with little wind and where fire is allowed to burn the brush under the trees in Angwin. As of October 5, the Glass Fire had charred 65,900 acres. 482 homes have been destroyed in Napa and Sonoma Counties. More than 21,000 structures remain threatened. The Glass Fire ignited Sept. 27 near Calistoga in Napa County.
© Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

Smoke filled orange glowing sky and spot fires burn after the Creek fire scorched the area above Shaver Lake.
© Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

SETH SANDSTROM shouts to get tools to repair a dock that separated as the Creek Fire approaches the Sierra Marina with 430 boats docked in Shaver Lake. The fire stopped short of the Marina. A day earlier the fire prompted a daring helicopter rescue of over 200 campers who became trapped by the fast moving fire.
© Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

SETH SANDSTROM protects the 430 boats at the Sierra Marina as the Creek Fire approaches. The fast moving wildfire has forced evacuations in the surrounding area.
© Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

TERRY KIFER and SETH SANDSTROM rush to protect the 430 boats moored at the Sierra Marina as the Creek Fire approaches. The marina made it through with no boat losses.
© Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

A firefighter hoses water on a tree and brush during the Lightning Complex fire in Vacaville. The LNU Lightning Complex fires burned across much of the Wine Country area of Northern California. The fires burned a total of 352,913 acres and 1,449 structures have been destroyed, and a further 227 damaged. The LNU complex has also killed five people.
© Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

Firefighter JACOB ANDRADE of the Kern Valley Hot Shots rests after a night battling the Creek fire in Shaver Lake. A hotshot crew is a group of 20 wild land firefighters which responds to large, high-priority fires across the country and are assigned to work the most challenging parts of the fire.
© Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

A couple of firefighters from the Kern Valley Hot Shots rest in their van in Shaver Lake in the Sierra national Forest. The fire has so far burned over 300,000 acres.
© Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

Some of the Kern Valley Hot Shots eat dinner on a wooden campsite bench under a smoke filled sky, as the Creek fire burns behind them at Shaver Lake.
© Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

JOEL SANCHEZ of the Kern Valley Hot Shots rests after a night battling the Creek fire in Shaver Lake.
© Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

Firefighters JOEL SANCHEZ, left, and ANGEL HORTA of the Kern Valley Hot Shots rest after a night battling the Creek fire. The massive wildfire will go on to devoured more than 310,000 acres near Fresno and Madera counties.
© Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

Firefighter ABRAHAM GARCIA heads back to a water tender truck while monitoring a tree on fire in Angwin, after the Glass fire burned through the area destroying homes in its path.
© Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

Southbound I-80 slows to a crawl as the fire jumps the freeway during the Lightning Complex fire near Vacaville.
© Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

Ranchers JOSH ROGERS and DAVID YOUNG pick up two horses to transport to a safe location and away from fire danger during the Lightning Complex wildfire in Vacaville.
© Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

Charred landscape, a burned out truck sits on Graystone Lane after the Bear Fire swept through the area, outside Oroville.
© Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

A cow lays charred on the roadside, a victim of the Lightning Complex wildfire that raged through the area near Vacaville.
© Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

Firefighters look at maps and track the fires progress online via gps, under torchlight on the hood of their truck, during the Bear Fire in Oroville.
© Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

Sitting in his truck, KEITH WHEELER, manager of Howe Mountain Market, texts to his wife in a darkened neighborhood where he was able to get a phone signal in Angwin. Keith is making himself available to provide supplies to first responders.
© Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

An 'Evacuated' tag on a yellow mailbox in Angwin placed by the Napa Valley Sheriff in order to let fire crews know the area is clear of residents.
© Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

Foothill Adventist Elementary school lost a building as the Glass fire swept the area.
© Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

An exhausted KEVIN POW is covered with ash from the Bear fire as he cleans ash and debris around a gas station with a leaf blower in Berry Creek.
© Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

KAREN and CLAY FORD of Clay's Bees in Vacaville kiss, saying they will rebuild their business with the community's support. They lost 73 of their 81 hives from the fire. Clay said that's over 2.5 million bees in their 10-year business. They are standing where 20 of those hives were and now are ashes.
© Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

A page from a text book, all that remains from a village school totally destroyed from the Bear Fire in Orinda.
© Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

DAVID LEWIS looks at his burned vineyard that supplies grapes to their winery La Borgata Winery & Distillery in Vacaville.
© Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

Burned and destroyed wine bottles stacked on pallets in the Castello di Amorosa's farm house after the Glass Fire. This Napa Valley winery alone lost five million US dollars worth of wine.
© Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

Flames from ignited household gas lines burn on a destroyed home after the Bear Fire swept the area in Berry Creek.
© Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

With very mild winds, an exhausted firefighter TYLER YADON and others from a Willits Strike team take a break for some much needed sleep beneath vineyard grape vines in Angwin. The fire crew have been battling the Glass fire for 22 days with only a couple 12-hours breaks of time off for any kind of rest and recuperation.
© Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

An eerie orange and red sun sets over a stars and stripes US flag painted in a field as Vacaville tries to heal from the deadly LNU Lightning Complex Fire.
© Paul Kuroda/ZUMA Wire

KEVIN SANFORD is overcome with emotion at his home he watch burned and is wondering why they were given very little notice to evacuate in Santa Rosa. He, his wife and daughter, lost his entire home and his garage.
© Paul Kuroda/San Francisco Chronicle/ZUMA Wire

A farm house burns during the Glass fire in Santa Rosa.
© Paul Kuroda/San Francisco Chronicle/ZUMA Wire

Firefighters discuss the spread of fire towards homes during the Glass in Santa Rosa.
© Paul Kuroda/San Francisco Chronicle/ZUMA Wire

PAT KING with daughter TORIN,13, in back, to wave flash light to cars, lead their horse, Windy Aim for over three-hours from their ranch to safety because the horse wouldn't go into their trailer in Santa Rosa, during the Glass fire.
© Paul Kuroda/San Francisco Chronicle/ZUMA Wire

Homes burned and cars on fire after the Glass fire swept the area in Santa Rosa.
© Paul Kuroda/San Francisco Chronicle/ZUMA Wire

A couple watch the Glass fire burning and give the sky an orange glow from Calistoga Road.
© Paul Kuroda/San Francisco Chronicle/ZUMA Wire