Over the weekend, thousands of people were evacuated as fast-burning wildfires in California overwhelmed several small towns, killing at least one person and destroying hundreds of homes and businesses. A state of emergency was declared by governor Jerry Brown in the areas hardest hit by the Butte and Valley fires. According to Cal Fire, the Valley Fire in southern Lake County has grown to 61,000 acres and is 5 percent contained, and the Butte Fire in Amador and Calaveras counties has reached 71,000 acres and is now 30 percent contained.
A Fiery Weekend in California
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Read moreA firefighter lights a backfire while battling the Butte Fire near San Andreas, California, on September 12, 2015. By that time, the Butte Fire had destroyed 86 homes and 51 outbuildings in rural Amador and Calaveras counties, where it covered an estimated 65,000 acres, officials said. #
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Read moreTall flames rise behind a firefighting inmate crew member at the Butte Fire on September 13, 2015, near San Andreas, California. #
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Read moreFirefighters with the Marin County Fire Department’s Tamalpais Fire Crew monitor a backfire as they battle the Valley Fire on September 13, 2015, near Middletown, California. The fast-moving fire had consumed 50,000 acres after growing 40,000 acres in twelve hours. #
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Read moreA firefighter covers his face while battling the Butte fire near San Andreas, California, on September 12, 2015. #
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Read moreA cow grazes in a pasture as the Butte Fire burns in Mountain Ranch, California, on September 11, 2015. The Butte Fire erupted on Wednesday, September 9, near the former gold-mining town of Jackson. #
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Read moreFirefighters light a backfire while battling the Butte Fire near San Andreas, California, on September 12, 2015. #
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Read moreMules are used to haul fire equipment to remote areas of the Rough Fire. #
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Read moreA cabin sits wrapped in aluminized structure wrap in Sentinel Campground near Cedar Grove, California. For several years now, the U.S. Forest Service has been deploying reusable sheets of aluminized structure wrap to protect selected buildings from radiant heat and burning embers.The sheeting reflects up to 95 percent of radiant heat, according to one manufacturer’s website. #
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Read moreA firefighting helicopter fills up while battling the Gasquet Complex Fire on September 12, 2015. #
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Read moreAnimal rescue group volunteer Chad Hughes, right, carries a goat to a trailer from a home threatened by a fire near Railroad Flat, California, on September 13, 2015. #
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Read moreFirefighter Andrew Dodds monitors a backfire while battling the Butte Fire near San Andreas, California, on September 12, 2015. #
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Read moreFlames from a backfire burn through dry vegetation as firefighters battle the Butte Fire near San Andreas, California, on September 12, 2015. #
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Read moreA firefighter works to save a residence as the Butte Fire burns on September 11, 2015, in San Andreas, California. #
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Read moreFlames from the Butte Fire pass a yard sculpture in Mountain Ranch, California, on September 11, 2015. #
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Read moreA firefighter watches a tree burn as the Butte Fire rages near San Andreas, California, on September 12, 2015. #
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Read moreA firefighter sprays water while fire surrounds boats as the Butte Fire rages near Mountain Ranch, California, on September 11, 2015. #
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Read moreA shed burns as the Butte Fire rages through Mountain Ranch, California, on September 11, 2015. #
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Read moreFlames from a backfire on Highway 29 rise above a firefighter battling the Valley Fire in Lower Lake, California, on September 13, 2015. The swiftly spreading wildfire destroyed hundreds of homes and forced thousands of residents to flee as it roared unchecked through the northern California village of Middletown and nearby communities, fire officials said on Sunday, September 13. #
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Read moreCars burn as the Butte Fire rages through the Scott’s Junction area near Mountain Ranch, California, on September 11, 2015. #
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Read moreFirefighter Jesse Kaplanis battles the Valley Fire in Lower Lake, California, on September 13, 2015. #
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Read moreA house burns as the Butte Fire rages through Mountain Ranch, California, on September 11, 2015. #
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Read moreStacked firewood burns next to a home during the Valley Fire on September 13, 2015, in Middletown, California. #
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Read moreA firefighter stands near a wildfire in Middletown, California, on September 13, 2015. #
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Read moreA car burns as the Butte Fire rages through Mountain Ranch, California, on September 11, 2015. #
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Read moreA gas line continues to flare in the ruins of a house that burned down in the Butte Fire on September 12, 2015, north of Murphys, California. #
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Read moreA fence melted by the Valley Fire lies on the ground on September 13, 2015, in Middletown, California. #
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Read moreA burned elephant statue is seen at the Butte Fire on September 13, 2015, near San Andreas, California. #
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Read moreA pair of burned cars sit outside the remains of several homes destroyed by fire along California State Route 175 on September 13, 2015, near Middletown, California. #
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Read morePlants in a marijuana garden stand charred after the Butte Fire destroyed the Golden Spur Mini Market north of Murphys, California, on September 13, 2015, near San Andreas. #
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Read moreMelted metal puddles under a burned-out car abandoned on a highway during the Valley Fire in Middletown, California, on September 13, 2015. #
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