Best Valley Firestorm Stills

The following are my fourteen favorite images of the Valley Firestorm which I have seen to this point. If I see any other faves I'll post them belatedly as an update and note the time of the update at the bottom of this narrative above the top image. Images are shown in no particular order than a general sense of the chronological sequence in which they were captured at different times and places by different witnesses. As of this posting, the fire has burned over 50,000 acres and over a 1,000 structures and leveled parts of several communities including Cobb, CA, and Middletown, CA, and the gated community of Hidden Valley Lake.

Here is the fire as it began near Cobb, CA. It appears to be only several acres in size. Photo by The Patch Lawn (all rights reserved).

The fire didn't take long to form a pyrocumulus cloud known in the fire biz as "capping out". Photo by Andrew Hendry (all rights reserved).

New chopper live camera still courtesy of ABC News (all rights reserved).

Evacuees fleeing down Highway 29. Photo by Sergios Quintana (all rights reserved).

The fire baring down on Middletown, CA as evacuees flee for their lives. Photo by Nicole Young (all rights reserved).

Another jaw-dropping image of the fire baring down on Middletown, CA. Photo by Michael Milirud (all rights reserved).

Kent Porter has had an amazing run of dramatic images this fire season of the various firestorms that have erupted in his part of the state this summer ranging from the Rocky Fire to the Jerusalem Fire to this Valley Fire. Photo by Kent Porter (all rights reserved).

Kelli Chase shot this image as she evacuated her home. Photo by Kelli Chase (all rights reserved).

Kelli Chase shot this image as she drove through Middletown en route to safety. Photo by Kelli Chase (all rights reserved).

Katie Utehs captured this image along Highway 29 at the Twin Pine Casino at Middletown Rancheria. Photo by Katie Uteh (all rights reserved).

Another shot from the same stretch of road captured the pell-mell nature of the evacuation and ominous appearance of the approaching firestorm. Photo by Katie Utehs (all rights reserved).

This was the view yesterday from north of Clear Lake showing the smoke drifting northwards past and over Mt. Konocti at right. This photography has also had a great year of fire photographs.  Photo by Jeffrey Jenkins (all rights reserved).

Here the fire churns through drought-stressed/beetle-infected forest. Photo by Michael Hardy (all rights reserved)

This is my favorite night shot of the fire I have seen thus far and it is by yet another wonderful local photographer who has had an amazing year of fire photography. Photo by Craig Philpott (all rights reserved).