Instagram: kpfotog

On Boggs Mountain in Cobb, the Humboldt Road and Summit Drive area shows the devastation wrought by the Valley fire, Friday Sept. 18, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

“When the wind picked up, the fire spread
And the grapevines seemed left for dead
And the northern sky looked like the end of days
The end of days”

“The firemen worked in double shifts
With prayers for rain on their lips
And they knew it was only a matter of time”

Excerpts from “Grapevine Fires” by Death Cab for Cutie

The horrendous first days of the Valley fire, which roared to life on September 12th, has drifted in to the shadow of endless nightmares.  A month has passed and very few residents have begun the process of cleaning what remains of their homes.  The laborious task of sorting through local, state and federal regulations has begun and those affected by Lake County’s summer of destruction will spend months sloshing through red tape and yet unknown frustrations.

An American flag in the Valley fire zone on Cobb Mountain, Tuesday Oct. 6, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been in to the fire zone; the miles logged and the incredible people I’ve met since it all began.  I’ve listened to the horrible and frightening stories of escape, talked to children and adults alike who’ve recounted over and again stories of peril, survival and loss.  The dreams are much the same as mine, fires raging, homes burning. Angst and sleepless nights coincide with dread.  Although I didn’t suffer any personal loss to the Valley fire, being witness to such physical and emotional carnage takes a toll on mental well being.  Up until last night, the dreams had been nightly.  I can’t imagine what the PTSD will be like for fire victims.

Maria Fonseca, left and Tanya Drew who both lost their homes to the Valley fire, Thursday Sept. 24, 2015, greet one another for the first time since the fire, during a town meeting at Middletown High School. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Shock usually wears off within a few days of a personal disaster.  The complexity and enormous scope of the fire has delayed some normal reactions, at least from what I have seen.  Residents are still open to questions and photographs. Those stories need to be told and am grateful for an opportunity to do just that.  Years ago, I received great advice from a colleague at another newspaper that I needed more intimacy within my photographs.  As the Press Democrat coverage continues, my goal is to tell stories that will move, bring about change and show real life as it unfolds in front of the camera.

Ron and Kathleen will rebuild their home in Cobb, Tuesday Oct. 6, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Working on a story about tree cutting in the fire zone which ran in today’s paper, I came across David Neft, a Cobb resident who was sorting through the remains of his Hobergs Drive home.  His brother Leonard Neft, died as the fire swept through Anderson Springs. He told tales of his sibling, a man who at times kept to himself and loved the solitude of Anderson Springs.  Brothers who argued, as relatives are apt to do, but spoke to each other with love and compassion.  Bonded together with blood, forever tied to the Valley fire as victims. He continued to sift and dig as the warm October sun rolled across the sky, shadows growing longer. Neft says he’s taking it “Minute by minute,  some days are good and some days are bad.”

David Neft, who lost his brother Leonard Neft to the Valley Fire, perishing near his home in Anderson Springs, also lost his own home in Hobergs, Wednesday Oct. 7, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

A statue at Leonard Neft’s home in Anderson Springs, Thursday Sept. 17, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Tammy Snow was the manager of the Middletown apartment complex (below) that burned to the ground in the hours after the Valley began.  She was a resident too and like other survivors, has been sifting through the rubble of her apartment to find personal keepsakes, small physical links to a past.

The Valley fire torches an apartment complex in the early morning hours of Sept. 13, 2015 in Middletown. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015.

The managers’ family, lifelong Lake County residents, helped with sifting. Calmly, methodically, shovel after shovel full, rocking back and fourth.  She told the story of a young firefighter, 22, who lived in the complex.  He and his crew were on the Butte fire and called back as part of a strike team to defend homes in Middletown.  Arriving late in to Saturday night, the crew set-up shop defending the very apartment the young man lived in.  The fire was too much, the water pressure to low.  Valiantly they defended, Snow said, but were beat back by the sheer ferociousness of the blaze. As she finished the story, Snow laughed triumphantly, throwing her head heavenward, finally finding the object of the search.  Her grandmother’s rings.

Tammy Snow of Middletown belts out a laugh of joy after finding her grandmothers rings in the remains of her apartment Thursday Sept. 24, 2015 in Middletown. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Samantha Wood drove up and parked on the slightly slanted driveway of her Cobb Home.  The house she and husband Josh shared with their two children had disappeared in a matter of minutes as the fire raced through.  Transplants from Southern California, the two had carved out a nice existence in the oasis of Cobb’s pines.  She had a garden with roses and vegetables and loved the sound the trees made when wind would caress the pine needles. Her kids love the school they go to, Cobb Elementary, and have many friends.  Josh, a beer brewer practiced his craft at home.  “A perfect place to raise a family,” she said.  Wood was upset that some pines on her property were marked for cutting.  The family promptly covered over the ‘X’ painted on the trees, as if to say, the fire took our home, don’t take our trees.  “We will rebuild, we will be back,”  she said.

Samantha Wood and her husband Josh placed placards around their property warning crews not to cut their trees, Wednesday Oct. 7, 2015 in Cobb. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

With that, she used a gallon of water and quenched the asparagus she had planted before the fire. In palette of surrounding blackness, the plant is taking root.  Even the grass is coming back, due to the local water company’s effort of erosion control, by watering the area down with water trucks.

Samantha Wood waters her garden, Wednesday Oct. 7, 2015 in Cobb. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

A meeting was held for those affected by the Valley fire at Middletown High School.  It was the first time the entire community had been together in one place since the blaze.  Free food was provided by CalPine.  FEMA and other organizations were on hand to answer questions about financing.  Under a setting sun, clouds created a most surreal landscape.  The PG&E utility command base was a stones throw from the football stadium where the meeting was held.

Valley fire scarred hills in Middletown provide a backdrop for motor homes brought in to house Pacific Gas and Electric Company crews as they continue to replace power infrastructure in the burn area , Thursday Sept. 24, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

The Mayacmas Mountain range with Mt. St. Helena, left, basks in an early fall heat wave, Thursday Sept. 24, 2015, as Middletown residents gather at the Middletown High School football field to discuss the future of the town. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Fire hats were given out to kids during a Valley fire town meeting and barbecue at Middletown High school, Thursday Sept. 24, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

FEMA and other organizations were on hand to help Middletown residents navigate financing and rebuilding ,Thursday Sept. 24, 2015, at Middletown High School. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Life will get back to normal slowly and hesitantly.  The biggest hurdle from the parents perspective was to get kids back to school, in to a normal routine, to laugh and be with peers. It wasn’t without emotion during the first day back in Middletown but it was obvious the kids needed to be back in their groups, to not talk about the fire.  It was much needed sanity in world thrust upside down for teachers and students.

Cobb Elementary School was spared from the Valley fire (it sustained heat and smoke damage) still students are being re-routed to Middletown High and middle school to attend their classes. Cobb Elementary teacher Marc Morita and daughter Lily, Monday, were accompanied to class by Heidi Hennek, and her daughter Gracelynn, embracing her nephew Beau Davis who lost his home to the blaze, Sept. 28, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

12 year-old Beau Davis returned to school in Middletown Monday Sept. 28, 2015, one of the hundreds that lost their homes to the Valley fire . (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

On the first day of classes since the Valley fire swept through Lake County, Micheal Murphy, 17, is handed a shirt from teacher Shaun Roderick with wording ‘Middletown Strong’ Monday Sept. 28, 2015. Murphy and Roderick both lost their homes to the fire. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Middletown Middle School students meet on the athletic fields to talk about the Valley fire, on the first day of classes since the disaster started. A stark reminder of the devastation to the area can be seen in the background, Monday Sept. 28, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Pacific Gas and Electric responded to the Valley fire quickly.  Crews from all over California descended on south Lake County within hours of the fire, mobilizing a force that numbered in the thousands.  Crews were directed not to talk with the media, not even give their names.

A Pacific Gas and Electric crew from Sutter, fill in a hole after replacing a power pole that was burned during the Valley fire on Trinity Road in Hobergs, Tuesday Sept. 22, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Pacific Gas and Electric crews are busy replacing the power line infrastructure in the Valley fire burn area, An excavator is used to remove and auger out the existing hole where a burned power pole was damaged on Humboldt Road in Hobergs, Tuesday Sept. 22, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

There are also signs of hope, determination, warning and thanks.

Cobb Mountain Community Fellowship Christian Church in Cobb. (Kent Porter / Press democrat) 2015

The Valley fire’s destructive path through Middletown, Thursday Sept. 24, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Retired police officer Steve Mooney, right, greets his neighbor Phil Sanders as Mooney patrols his Cobb neighborhood on the lookout for looters robbing homes not burned by the Valley fire, Thursday Sept. 17, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

A resident added greenery marking the Valley fire’s destructive path through Middletown, Thursday Sept. 24, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

-Kent Porter

Instagram:  kpfotog

A Middletown apartment complex burns due to the Valley fire, Sunday Sept. 13, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Extreme reporting is what I call it. Some folks jump out of perfectly good airplanes, some surf with sharks and still others free climb huge cliffs; there are those that walk tightropes over 1,000 foot canyons.  Yes, everyone has their extreme something.  In the news biz, we cover just about anything and everything.  It takes a ton of curiosity and a willingness to put yourself in unenviable positions in order to tell a story. A story that may take you away from family for hours and sometimes agonizing loneliness for days.  It can happens slowly, like a flood or a big rainstorm.  You can prepare.

Wildland fires sort of fit into a ‘moments notice’ category which leads to an immediate disruption of plans, changing of schedules, reacting to the moment at hand. Fluidity is an understatement; preparation is a mind game and risk and fear are very real factors. How first responders wade into disasters or tragic situations is a testament to the dedication and passion that these men and women have for making things right in sometimes hellish and heinous conditions. Beyond hellish best describes the Valley fire. If you haven’t given thanks to a firefighter, do so.  It’s a crazy, risk your life profession even when prepared.

A home burns  in the background as the Valley fire rages on Cobb Mountain while firefighters from the North Shore Fire Protection District of Lake County protect other homes, Saturday Sept 12, 2015 on Hobergs Loop. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

A Saturday, cool and overcast. I was being lazy, my son decompressing from a heavy week of school and my wife at lunch with a friend.  Our Golden was running around the house like a crazy beast. The first hint of trouble were air tankers flying over our house, red stains of phos-check on their underside, unusual for that time of day.  I checked my Twitter feed and a post was made about a two-acre fire on Cobb Mountain, moderate to rapid rate of spread.  I’ve always dreaded a fire on Cobb Mountain.  Reporter Glenda Anderson and I did a story on the beetle kill in the Boggs State Forest earlier this summer, it was tinder dry then and the trees were dying at a higher rate due to the drought, compounded by bark beetles.

A home burns in the background as the Valley fire rages on Cobb Mountain while firefighters from the North Shore Fire Protection District of Lake County protect a home, Saturday Sept 12, 2015 on Hobergs Loop. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Dread.  Important word.  I flipped the police scanner on, immediately picked up radio traffic from the fire. The first words in mid-transmission  “…..better evacuate Cobb.” the Air Attack pilot’s voice was deadly serious, matter of fact. It resonated, translating to unspoken words.  Do it now, do it quickly.  When the Air Attack came back on to say “50 acres and rapid rate of spread,” Our family weekend was changed abruptly.  This summer has been tough on them, I’ve been to more fires and away from home too much.

A house and trees explode in flames on Hoberg’s Loop on Cobb Mountain as the Valley fire rages, Saturday Sept. 12, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Kelly, my wife, made sure I was all set with water, safety gear and wits.  I gave her a kiss and hugged our son Mac, Seeyalater and not goodbye;  it’s rarely goodbye.

I knew the residents of Cobb were in trouble. I kept my mobile scanner on Cal Fire’s main frequency and kept listening as I wheeled over Mt. St. Helena, the closest and the fastest way to the scene. The Air Attack would come on every few minutes talking with the Incident Commander (IC)

“250 acres, rapid rate of spread.”

“400 acres, rapid rate of spread in the timber”

“The fire has passed through Hobergs.”

The IC called to dispatch:

“I need  3 Branch directors
8 Division Supervisors
40 Engines, any type, immediate need
20 Crews
10 Dozers
10 water Tenders
2 Medics, ground
2 Medic Copters”

In the middle of all this were reports of fire shelters deployed by a fire crew.  Later I found out it was a portion of the Boggs Helitack crew and all were flown out by REACH personnel, picked up on the helipad where the Bogg’s Crew is stationed.  Years ago, I flew on a few missions with these guys.  Great group of people.  My heart sank.

All at once, Cobb and Middletown were being evacuated at the same time, due to the Air Attack’s reporting they were going to lose the line at Gifford Springs Road in Whispering Pines.

Evacuees from the Valley fire clog Highway 29 in Middletown, Saturday Sept. 12, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Highway 175 was clogged at the base of the grade to Cobb Mountain.  Let through, I witnessed a steady stream of cars, trucks, motor homes and motorcycles, panic etched on the faces of drivers. Below is the first photo I made. Ominous and roaring.

1/4 mile from Whispering Pines on Cobb, the Valley Fire spots in to Gifford Springs, Saturday Sept. 12, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat)

Second image, below

A barn burns in Whispering Pines on Cobb Mountain Saturday Sept. 12, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

I hooked up with a crew from Nice and Lucerne protecting a structure from burning on Hobergs Loop. (Photos at top of post).

Ammunition kept going off in one house, meaning a quick retreat for about 10 minutes. We all ventured back  in.  All around there were explosions of BBQ propane tanks, propane tanks venting, and the whoosh of fire running through the tall fir trees so prevalent in the Cobb area.

Heeding a warning that HWY 175 was going to be cut-off through the canyon, I raced back down to beat the fire. It beat me.  It was a 12 mile long fire front moving at unbelievable speed.

The Valley fire rolls in to Middletown, Saturday Sept. 12, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

From there, it raced in to Middletown on one front, the other in to Hidden Valley Lakes.  It spotted in to Butts Canyon and then over St. Helena Creek south of downtown Middletown. It was all over the place, torching everything in it’s path. Later, the fire  spotted over 175, engulfing homes on the north and west side of Middletown.

A car is engulfed in flames as the Valley fire spots over Highway 29 in Middletown, Saturday Sept. 12, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

A spot from the Valley fire engulfs juniper trees in Butts Canyon outside of Middletown, Saturday Sept. 12, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

As darkness approached, well, the smoke pretty much blotted out the sun anyway, I felt a need to head to Hidden Valley Lakes to document what was going on there.  That meant a quick trip up Highway 29.

Yeah, in theory.

Highway 29 to Hidden Valley was cut-off from Middletown, Saturday evening due to the Valley fire. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

A Lake County Sheriff’s deputy stopped me.  “You’re not going to make it through”.  He was right, I wasn’t going to make it to the other side.

So, being the resourceful journalist, I felt that Highway 175 up over Cobb would be the best bet, I was certain the fire had blown through.  Well, about halfway up, the fire was pretty intense.  I didn’t shoot any photos, it was a two-handed white knuckle drive over the top in to Whispering Pines.  Eventually, taking Bottle Rock Road to Highway 53 back to Highway 29, I wound up in Hidden Valley, where I shot the picture below.

A home burns in Hidden Valley as a result of the Valley fire on Saturday. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Needing to get photos back to the PD newsroom and the Associated Press, I stopped to send pictures.  Then my computer died.  A quick trip to Clearlake fixed the situation, able to get power and a little fresh air.  After that, I moved back in to Middletown, where chaos was ensuing, half the town was on fire, literally, sadly.

An inmate hand crew prepare to cut line around homes in Middletown, Sunday Sept. 13, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

A tree explodes suddenly above my company car while photographing a crew interviewing a Cal Fire PIO. It’s about three in the morning. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

By then it was Sunday. I felt the need to document the Valley fire through the night, sure it was gong to be the largest, deadliest and costliest disaster Lake County had ever witnessed.

At around 4:30 am, I managed to get about an hour of sleep in the parking lot of Twin Pines Casino.  Then, back to the streets to document the aftermath.

An entire apartment complex in Middletown was razed by the Valley fire, Sunday Sept. 13, 2015. (Kent Porter/ Press Democrat) 2015

Harbin Hot Springs was destroyed by the Valley fire in Middletown. (Kent Porter Press Democrat) 2015

Dead koi at Harbin Hot Springs in Middletown, Sunday Sept. 13, 2015. (Kent Porter Press Democrat) 2015

Harbin Hot Springs in Middletown, Sunday Sept. 13, 2015. (Kent Porter Press Democrat) 2015

CDC firefighters get some rest in Middletown, Sunday Sept. 13, 2015. (Kent Porter Press Democrat) 2015

Cal Fire personnel, after defending homes during the early stages of the Valley fire, get some rest in front of a home they saved in Hidden Valley Lakes, Sunday Sept. 13, 2015. (Kent Porter Press Democrat) 2015

Hoberg’s Resort on Cobb, Sunday Sept. 13, 2015. (Kent Porter Press Democrat) 2015

After a week of coverage, I know that areas where fire came through will be rebuilt and that some may enjoy what the region has to offer.  It will be a long, trying and tough course residents  need to take.  There will need to be patience and an outpouring of assistance in order to make the area livable again.

-Kent Porter

A letter from Kent Porter to his colleagues at the Press Democrat on the collaborative efforts of covering the worst fire he’s ever reported on, the Valley fire in Lake County.

Thanks to all those that did an amazing job the last two days with the coverage of the Valley fire, right down to the people in the press room. The copy desk patiently waited for my photos on Saturday night, including Patty Hayes, who suffered through my harried captions and made it all work, making it shine the next day. Brett Wilkison calmly guided me through the coverage, and Guy Kovner took my frenetic reports and made it all work in a cohesive story telling way.  Mary Callahan shot me texts whenever she could, even though the cell service was all goofed up and I couldn’t text back. She continuously checked up on me, as well as on Paul Payne (who did an amazing job) in the very wee hours of the morning. I even texted Mary I had made it back to Middletown at some ridiculous hour, and she wrote back, encouraging me to get sleep. If I’ve forgotten someone, I apologize. I had a tough time even writing captions and remembering what pictures I sent yesterday.

Thank you for understanding what a tremendous event this has become and the care it takes to get the right images and copy in to print and online. I know there were more people involved, my fire helmet is off to you for doing it right. People are relying on our coverage up there, including social media.  We are the voice. My twitter feed exploded overnight Saturday, so many wanting to know if their homes were still standing. I’ve answered them all, as best I could. It’s gut and heart wrenching.

I am floored by the amount of devastation I’ve seen.  Whole communities were wiped off the map in a matter of minutes.  We all have friends up there, families and people we’ve met in passing. What struck me the most is the utter completeness of this disaster.

Virtually nothing is left above the proper of Cobb. The houses are down to foundations, even some chimneys are gone. Driving through the area is like looking at a ghost community.  So much gone, so many ways of life disrupted, so much hardship remains for the people affected. In Middletown, you can draw a line where firefighters stopped the fire.  They saved downtown. Anderson Springs is nearly 80% wiped out, same goes for the homes along Highway 175 in the canyon to Cobb.  Hidden Valley suffered losses too, as did Hobergs and Adams Springs. I didn’t make it to Siegler Canyon, it was way too dangerous (but I did try).

We’re all journalists, we’ve all seen catastrophes and witnessed amazing, great things. If there is anything you can donate, especially for the children and seniors, now would be a good time.  Overwhelmed is pretty good word to use when you think of what an uphill climb it will be for them.

Thanks,
Kp

Instagram: kpfotog

Tanker 912 makes a drop on the latest Lake County fire, the Elk fire, Wednesday Sept. 2, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

There are fire seasons when I don’t make a picture of an air tanker dropping that bright reddish pink phos-chek which has become such a visible part of wildland coverage.  I might be in the wrong place on the blaze, only to see the tail end of the drop.  This has always been an integral part of aerial firefighting, now more than ever with “mega” fires breaking out year over year. Ask any wildland fire photographer, the tanker picture is one that is sought on any major incident.

I’ve photographed a lot of drops this year however, but kept missing 10 Tanker Air Carrier’s converted McDonnell Douglas DC-10′s making one of those 12,000 gallon belly eruptions.  

During the Elk fire in Lake County on Wednesday, I was in the right place for nearly a dozen drops from Cal Fire’s S-2T air tankers; Neptune Aviation’s  BAE-146; Air Guard’s MAFFS (Modular Airborne Firefighting Systems) and the beast DC-10 tanker 912.

For all you wingnuts out there, these are for you.

A Cal Fire S-2T air tanker is used to put in an indirect fire line, in case the Elk fire were to spot over the ridge, Wednesday September 2, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Using a little body English, A Cal Fire S-2T air tanker is used to put in an indirect fire line, in case the Elk fire were to spot over the ridge, Wednesday September 2, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

A BAE-146 on the Elk fire in Upper Lake, Wednesday September 2, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

A BAE-146. left and a Cal Fire S-2T on the Elk fire in Upper Lake, Wednesday September 2, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

A BAE-146 on the Elk fire in Upper Lake, Wednesday September 2, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

A MAAF’s drops on Pitney Ridge on the Elk fire in Upper Lake, Wednesday September 2, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

A MAAF’s drops on Pitney Ridge on the Elk fire in Upper Lake, Wednesday September 2, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

With a lead plane, A BAE-146 makes a drop on the Elk fire in Upper Lake, Wednesday September 2, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

A BAE-146 on the Elk fire in Upper Lake, Wednesday September 2, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

A BAE-146 drops on Pitney Ridge during the Elk fire in Upper Lake, Wednesday September 2, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

A BAE-146, left and a DC10 orbit the Elk fire in Upper Lake, Wednesday September 2, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Tanker 912, A DC-10 moves in to make a drop on the Elk fire in Upper Lake, Wednesday September 2, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Another sought after photo?  Fires at night.

The Elk fire burns in to the overnight hours, Wednesday Sept. 2, 2015 in Upper Lake. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

-Kent Porter

Bill Hilbrandie carries off his sisters computer hard drive from the remains of her home, destroyed by the Rocky Fire in Lake County, Tuesday Sept. 1, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

National News.  We’ve had our share here on the North Coast.  Disaster happens, national media flood in, tell a story of devastation with a quick exit stage right.  As such with the Rocky fire in Lake County.  Pictures sent to the Associated Press by PD staffers were published world-wide.  The national folks descended en masse.  After a week, most were gone.

The story doesn’t end when the big boys and girls leave.  It will take years for residents to recover and the land to regain a semblance of a former self.  The Press Democrat will document these changes, when others may not.  That’s why local newspapers are so important; a voice of sometimes forgotten people and communities.

Lonne Sloan bought a T-shirt commemorating the Rocky fire after firefighters helped to save her home, Tuesday Sept. 1, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015 near Lower Lake.

Bill Hilbrandie with an American flag destroyed by the Rocky fire at hiss sisters home in Lake County, Tuesday Sept. 1, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Lonne Sloan looks over the remains of a horse trailer and garage where she and her husband lost most of what was in it, during the Rocky fire, Tuesday Sept. 1, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015 near Lower Lake.

Bill Hilbrandie surveys what is left of his home, destroyed by the Rocky fire in Lake County, Tuesday Sept. 1, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Lonne Sloan and her husband battled the Rocky fire through the night in July, saving their home but losing construction equipment, out buildings and classic automobiles Tuesday Sept. 1, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

A charred landscape is what remains of Bill Hilbrandie’s homestead, destroyed by the Rocky Fire in Lake County, Tuesday Sept. 1, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

-Kent Porter

he super moon rises above Founaingrove Saturday Aug. 29, 2015 in Santa Rosa. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

The skies have been smoky for weeks.  Hoping that the rain (rain?) would wipe our air clean in Sonoma County this past weekend, I was hoping for a crystal clear sky to shoot the latest super/full moon Saturday.  The air did get scrubbed, but the moon still appeared yellow, so smoke remains.  Coming up next month?  Another super moon coupled with a lunar eclipse.

he super moon rises above Santa Rosa Saturday Aug. 29, 2015 in Santa Rosa. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

-Kent Porter

“There are only ten minutes in the life of a pear when it is perfect to eat.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

A golden bosc pear weighing in at nearly 1.2lbs, Monday Aug. 24, 2015 at Scully Packing Co. in Finley. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Yes, this is a big pear. A golden bosc pear weighing in at over a pound.  The folks at Scully Packing Co. near Kelseyville showed me around the other day as their harvest ground on.  I worked nearly four seasons while in high school and college at what was then the Scotts Valley Fruit Exchange near Lakeport.  I was surprised  much had not changed in the physical side of things of a packing operation.  Packers packed, fast as ever, but with cardboard boxes not wood.  Forklift drivers still unloaded trucks from the fields and sorters still sorted.  The sounds were as I remembered.

At Scotts Valley, there was a packer named Doris. To a 16 year-old (me), she seemed to be about 86, maybe 90.  I’m sure she wasn’t, but she could pack a box of pears in under 45 seconds.  No joke.  She made a ton of money and probably took vacations to the Bahamas on her summer earnings. Doris was a star at the shed.

Pears are packed by hand, Monday Aug. 24, 2015 at Scully Packing Co. in Finley near Kelseyille in Lake County. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Maria de Jesus Macias of Kelseyville packs golden bosc pears Monday Aug. 24, 2015 at Scully Packing Co. in Finley near Kelseyville in Lake County. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Pear puns I’ve heard in the newsroom and the public:

-That’s quite a pear you have, Kent .

-That’s a really small hand.

-What’s in the other hand?

-It’s pearfect

-That’s a really big pear.

-It looks like Mr.Potato Head!

-Do you have a matching pear?

-What was on the other side of the tree?

-Here a pear, there a pear, everywhere a pear pear.

The running joke at Scotts Valley in 1978 was “Why is a pear green?”

“Because it’s not ripe!”

Ayyyye

I can honestly tell you it’s the largest pear I’ve ever seen.  The Guinness Book of World Records has an atago pear in Japan at record at 6 lb 8 oz.

-Kent Porter

on Instagram:  kpfotog

Fire romps through tinder dry brush during the Rocky fire in Lake County, July 29, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

It’s been, so far, a summer of fire discontent in Lake and Napa Counties (Yolo, Solano and Colusa get credit too).  It began with the Wragg fire near Lake Berryessa on July 22; the latest fire to break out was the Grade fire on Jerusalem Grade Road in Lake County Monday August 24, barely an air mile from the 25,000 acre Jerusalem fire. In fire photography, the itchy eyes, burning lungs, fatigue, dehydration and bees tend to slow a person down, which leads to missing pictures on the initial, deadline frenetic edit.  Most of these images appeared in photo galleries, some I missed completely.

The Wragg Fire near Lake Berryessa burned 8,051 acres and was finally contained in early August. (Kent Porter/Press Democrat) 2015

The Grade fire off Jerusalem Valley Road in Lake County burned with intensity, melting metal on vehicles that caught fire, Monday Aug. 24, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Of course I cover more than just fires here at the Press Democrat, but for the past month fires and drought have taken the headlines.

A dust devil twirls over the burned landscape of the Jerusalem fire, Friday Aug 14, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

The Jerusalem fire flares up just below the now closed Homestake Mine on Morgan Valley Road, Monday Aug. 10, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

An air tanker makes a loop around the Jerusalem fire, Monday Aug. 10, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

An inmate crew walks through a bone dry drought ravaged Soda Creek on their way to the the fire line as the Jerusalem fire continues to burn, Monday Aug. 10, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

A grueling 1400 foot climb greeted firefighters after a two-mile walk through dry Soda Creek in nearly 95 degree heat during the Jerusalem fire. Yes, it was steep.

Kyle Sechland of Cal Fire climbs a wide fire break, Monday Aug. 10, 2015 as he looks for hot spots on the Jerusalem fire. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Cal Fire firefighters prepare to work on the Jerusalem fire in Lake County, Monday Aug. 10, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Cal Fire’s Bryan King of the Tuolumne-Calaveras Unit relaxes as his strike team rests before cutting line at the top of the north side of the Jerusalem fire, Monday Aug. 10, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

According to the National Interagency Fire Center (NIFC) From January 1, of 2015 to August 27, 2015  7,697,292 acres have burned this year in the United States as compared 2.7 million acres last year. That is the highest acreage in the past 10 years and still, nearly two months remain in fire season.

The Rocky Fire exhibits extreme rates of spread as it jumps to the north side of Highway 20 east of Spring Valley in Lake County, Monday Aug. 3, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

The heat emanating from the fire even a quarter mile away could be felt, especially when the flames would make a ‘run.’

The blue, but smoke tinted moon, rises over the Rocky Fire near Lower Lake, Thursday July 30, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Jerusalem fire as seen Tuesday Aug. 11, 2015. from Windsor (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Even though Mt. St. Helena is a volcanic cylinder cone, it took on the appearance of erupting for several days during the Rocky and Jerusalem fires.

A pot grow in the Jerusalem fire burn area in Lake County, Monday Aug. 10, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Nearly every (not all) homes that I saw in the fire zones had a pot grow.  I’m not sure if they were legal or illegal.

The Jerusalem fire rolls toward Knoxville-Berryessa Road as it jumps Jerusalem Valley and the contingency lines for the Rocky fire, Monday Aug. 10, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

An old school bus was coated with phoschek during the first day of the Rocky fire. The retardant drop saved a house near by.(Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

A written statement on the tailgate of Spring Valley evacuee Jeremy Klemish, Wednesday Aug. 5, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

The Rocky fire made a run through bone dry brush on July 30, leaving a black landscape. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

The Rocky fire seen from Lower Lake, ripped at an extreme rate of spread on July 29, 2015, (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Looking like snow capped mountains after a fall storm, the reality was fire retardant coated trees and fire burning some hillsides during the Rocky fire nearly bare, leaving ash. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

In the middle of the Rocky fire, a pond is the only color in a blackened landscape. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

A dust devil whirls along the side of a hill in the Rocky fire burn area on August 5, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

A power pole burns, sheared off buy fire at sunset on July 29, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

The Air National Guard was brought in to help fight the Jerusalem an Rocky fires in Lake County. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Lake-Napa Unit crew 1, cut a fire line around a home during the Rocky fire July 29, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Lake-Napa Unit crew 1, cut a fire line around a home during the Rocky fire July 29, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

A Cal Fire firefighter who declined to give his name, douses hot spots around a trailer that was destroyed during the Grade fire off Jerusalem Valley Road in Lake County, Monday Aug. 24, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Hugo Patino, a representative with the Modesto Fire Department acting as a Public Information Officer is videotaped by Moose Lodge evacuation coordinator Matt Nelson as Patino gives Spring Valley residents an update on the Rocky fire and their evacuation status in Clearlake Oaks, Wednesday Aug. 5, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Tired firefighters find a comfortable spot to relax as they wait their next assignment on the Rocky fire, Wednesday Aug. 5, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Mt Konocti at sunset in Lake County during the Rocky fire. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

-Kent Porter

Instagram:  kpfotog

Weather models had been hinting for nearly a week now that the Bay Area could get some lightning at the end of this week.  Now, the National Weather Service has posted a Red Flag Warning to highlight the incoming weather, there is very little moisture with these storms.  Given the incredibly dry vegetation (hint:  Rocky Fire), any strikes that do occur without rain could start new fires.  Ugh.  Stay tuned.

-Kent Porter

Geyserville firefighter Brett Thatcher faces down backfire off Morgan Valley Road on the Rocky fire near Lower Lake on Thursday, July 30, 2015. (KENT PORTER/ PD)

Follow me on twitter: @kentphotos

Instagram: kpfotog

Say what you want about drought, climate change, general weather weirdness and dogs and cats living together, evidence is mounting this summer, California’s four year drought is much more than a water issue.  Our forests are tinder dry. That rain we had just a few weeks ago in the mountains? Nothing but a blip on the radar, so to speak.  Whereas areas of California received quite a bit of precipitation, the latest dry weather has made a dent in mid-season rain.

The #RockyFire is an example of Lake County’s summer parched vegetation.  As a kid growing up there, fire (is) always a dry season hazard.  The unique terrain, heavy incendiary vegetation, coupled with hot weather and afternoon winds, can lead to explosive fire growth.

Such is the case with the Rocky.

I had all of my assignments completed last Wednesday.  Sonoma County had been experiencing several small brush fires, so I was listening to the scanner dispatches a little closer than usual. I’ve always been a spot news kind of guy, it’s important that people know what’s going on in their community. So, when a smoke check toned out near Safari West around 3:30 or so, I decided to head that way. It turned out to be nothing, but I was hearing chatter about a fire in Morgan Valley.  Being pretty close to Calistoga, I decided to head that way.  If the fire was big enough, the smoke plume would rise over Mt. St. Helena and the jagged Palisades cliffs. The plateau of Porter Creek Road before heading in to the Napa Valley is a vantage point which affords a good view.  When I saw that header rising over the mountain, I knew the fire was going to go big.

Gut instinct.

I’ve told several people in the newsroom if you can see the smoke from our second story office windows, most likely it’s a big deal. Looking back, I realize that the Safari West smoke check was a person watching the Rocky. By the time I made it over the mountain in to Middletown the header had become a beast and the Incident Commander (IC) was ordering up literally tons of equipment. A Cal Fire Air Attack pilot was asking for the Very Large Air Tanker (VLAT) the new generation of tanker that can drop 10,000 gallons of retardant. Being so early in the firefight with just a hint of immediacy in the pilot’s voice was a key indicator that whatever resources they could get, they would need.

I stopped off Butts Canyon Road in Middletown and made a frame, to document it’s growth.

The Rocky Fire from Butts Canyon Road in Lake County, Wednesday July 29, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

You can see a little puff of smoke just above the yellowish barn.  That is a second fire, which was reported just a few seconds later by the Air Attack. Later, the two columns would merge.

Anytime I go in to this situation, I run through a mental checklist of what to expect, what to avoid and the inherent risk of covering a wildland fire.  However,  you never exactly know what you’ll come up against.  It was easy enough to get to the fire, eventually stopped by a roadblock from the Department of Fish and Game.  He told me to leave; everyone to leave. After about 30 minutes I was able to enter the fire area at a close distance (California law is on my side with access).  I worked the perimeter of the fire, shooting scene setting photos, being careful to not get in the way of fire apparatus or those evacuating.  Eventually, I waded in to the housing areas to make photos.  Below is one of the first photos I made after gaining access.

The Rocky fire spots off Morgan Valley Road, Wednesday July 29, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

It was hot probably close to 106.  Not really windy; but as the fire began to increase in size, inflow winds drawn in by the fire interacted with orography of the slopes creating  it’s own weather, forming huge pyrocumulus clouds.

The Rocky Fire explodes at sunset just outside Lower Lake, Wednesday July 29, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Covering smaller brush fires is a real challenge.  Most of the time, it’s a mop-up type photo; you know, firefighters scraping a containment line.  Uh-uh not this time.

The Boggs Helitack crew gets a ride from a battalion chief on the Rocky Fire, Wednesday July 29, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

A Cal Fire strike team move to an escape zone after a flare up on the Rocky Fire threatened to burn fire hoses near Lower Lake as they try to cut line around the perimeter of the fire, Wednesday July 29, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Obviously, firefighters had their hands full.  Even backfires were tough to set, the erratic nature of the topography and weather conditions played a huge factor in how it burned.

Smaller backfires were set by dragging burning brush to solidify containment lines on the Rocky Fire near Lower Lake, Wednesday July 29, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

As twilight faded, the weather turned interesting -if it hadn’t been already.  It didn’t cool down.  The temperature climbed, the humidity plummeted and it became very windy. A thermometer on the side of a house said 110 degrees.  That’s like San Antonio in the summer with humidity. Air tankers eked out the last light of the day and made drops on a flank of the fire at Morgan Valley Road.

Air tankers made drops in the last rays of the day, Wednesday July 29, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Nothing felt right, the hair on my neck stood on end.  The fire, in search of oxygen, roared down the valley in to a rural sub-divison of homes, spotting 1/4 mile in front of the head.

Fire roars in to a valley off Morgan Valley Road, during the Rocky Fire near Lower Lake, Wednesday July 29, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

At this moment you decide you are a person who values life, a family to come home to with a crazy dog in tow. The trappings of domesticity are real, comforting and safe, food is on the table and milk with your cookies to dunk.  Then the photojournalist in you says, okay, that guy down there has defensible space, I have a safety zone and at least one way out of the canyon. I was unsure about the way out, not knowing if the fire ABOVE the canyon to the south had burned over the road, where the fuel load was more dense.  I figured it would make a pretty good photo.  Firefighters were stationed at every home. I felt reassured.  The photo below is the only one of three frames in focus.

A wall of flames lurches over a ridge as a resident of Morgan Valley Road near Lower Lake prepares to evacuate the Rocky Fire, Wednesday evening July 29, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Firefighters do this for a living.  The utmost respect should be afforded to anyone putting themselves in harms way to protect someone they don’t know. It’s gutsy at the very least.

Animals were evacuated off Morgan Valley Road near Lower Lake during the Rocky Fire, Wednesday evening July 29, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Cal Fire crews from Napa’s Greenwood Ranch Station monitor the Rocky Fire, now 8,000 acres, Thursday July 30, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

So I went back to Clearlake after the fire blew through.  I sent the photos, suggesting the evacuation photo be published across the entire page.  It was.  Still, the adrenaline was pumping, there were more photos to get, to show the fury of what was taking place. I made some photos of the moon and the fire screaming up hillsides and ran in to a fire photographer from SoCal, Stuart Palley, who makes really nice images of just about everything he shoots.

Southern California based fire photographer Stuart Palley photographs the Rocky Fire as it burns up and over a ridge along Morgan Valley Road early Thursday morning July 30, 2015. The fire has grown to 8,000 acres since yesterday afternoon. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

The Rocky Fire burns up and over a ridge underneath a full moon along Morgan Valley Road early Thursday morning July 30, 2015. The fire has grown to 8,000 acres since yesterday afternoon. Lights from a strike team of engines can be seen on the right hand side in this long exposure. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

The city of Clearlake is reflected, along with the Rocky Fire, in the waters of Borax Lake, above Clear Lake, Thursday morning July 30, 2015. The fire has grown to 8,000 acres since yesterday afternoon. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

With no hotel rooms available, I decided to get some rest out of the fire zone in the parking lot of the hotel.  After fits and starts, crumpled up in a car seat a little short for my frame, I made one last effort for a room.  Luckily a person never showed  and I got it at 4:30 am. The next er.. same day, reporter Glenda Anderson and I looked for evacuees, or those that stayed in their homes overnight inside the evac perimeter and made images of a burnout operation with a local strike team from Cloverdale, Windsor and Geyserville to fill out the story I was attempting to tell.

A Windsor firefighter faces down a backfire off Morgan Valley Road on the Rocky Fire, Thursday July 30, 2015 near Lower Lake. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

A dry farm pond underlines the four year drought as a backfire is set by Windsor, Cloverdale and Geyserville firefighters off Morgan Valley during the Rocky Fire, Thursday July 30, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

The Antonia family and friends watch as the Rocky Fire spots outside of containment lines, Thursday July 30, 2015 from their ranch off Morgan Valley Road. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

A moonscape greets Lonne Sloan at the corner of her driveway and Morgan Valley Road Thursday July 30, 2015 near Lower Lake as she calls 911 to report that fire was bearing down on her house once again. Sloan and her husband Larry stayed behind Wednesday night to put out flames around their home, even so it was touch and go, Sloan lost a barn, trailers and tractors to the Rocky Fire. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Larry Sloan protected his house with his own fire truck, background, at the height of the Rocky Fire Wednesday night near Lower Lake, Thursday July 30, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

As the heat ramped up, fire behavior became more erratic.  It was crazy.  Last year, I thought the fire behavior was the worst I had ever seen.  The Rocky Fire, hands down, was 10 times worse than conditions posed last year.

A wind driven smoke tornado dwarfs a water dropping helicopter on he Rocky fire, Thursday July 30, 2015 near Lower Lake . (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Chinook helicopters make drops on the Rocky fire, Thursday July 30, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

The Rocky fire threatens the Antonia Ranch, Thursday July 30, 2015 off Morgan Valley Road near Lower Lake. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

The Rocky fire blows up,Thursday July 30, 2015 near Lower Lake . (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

The blue, but smoke tinted moon, rises over the Rocky Fire near Lower Lake, Thursday July 30, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

The Rocky Fire near Lower Lake, Thursday July 30, 2015. (Kent Porter / Press Democrat) 2015

Just think.  It’s only August.

-Kent Porter