[Sharon]

A large forest fire is one of the most awesome natural events one can witness on earth. With trees, leaves and other vegetation serving as its fuel, a single forest fire can raise hundreds of thousands of acres to the ground, skipping over roads and rivers with wanton abandon, advancing at speeds of up to 7mph (14mph in grasslands).


Two elk standing in the East Fork of the Bitterroot River, in the Bitterroot National Forest, Montana.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitterroot_National_Forest


In the Northwest Territiories of Canada, scientists start controlled forest fires in order to measure spread rates and observe fire behaviour. Scientific equipment is visible in the foreground.


A semicircular burning front is clearly visible in this forest fire, viewed from Alto de Quintela, Portugal.


The effects of a forest fire are all too obvious in this photograph taken in Sun Valley, Idaho. The burning front of the fire has created a spectrum of colours, from the black of charred tree remains to the bright-green of healthy foliage.


This image appears to have been captured in the heart of the fire itself, the fire’s glow so bright that it obscures the view of the tree trunks.


Beyond the Harvest Golf Club, the 2003 Okanagan Mountain Park fire burns out of control. Started by lightning and fuelled by strong winds, the fire forced 45,000 people to flea their homes. Luckily, nobody lost their lives.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okanaga...tain_Park_Fire


This scorched landscape, near to Pioneertown, California, demonstrates the effects of a wildfire. Forest fires can move at an alarming rate (6.7mph), but in dryer areas like this, fires have been known to advance at speeds above 10mph.
?Yucca Valley http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yucca_Valley,_California


The Zaca Fire was the second largest ever recorded in California’s history. The fire started on 4th July 2007 in Buellton. By 31st August, it had burned over 240,207 acres. It was not fully controlled until 2nd September of that year.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zaca_Fire


The Santiago Fire, seen here from Lake Mission Viejo, was ignited in three separate places, strongly indicating human intervention.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santiago_Fire


A smokejumper descends into dangerous Montana territory in this image, taken in 1941. Smokejumping, the practice of parachuting into remote areas to control wildfires, still occurs today.


Smoke pours from this fire near Ensenada, engulfing a settlement in the process.


Smoke from a forest fire on the Greek island of Zakynthos blackens the sky.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zakynth...dfires_of_2006


A group of brave firemen march towards the towering flames of the Day Fire, which started on 4th September 2006. The Day Fire was the sixth largest forest fire ever seen in California, destroying 162,700 acres of land and causing $70.3 million of damage
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_Fire


A forest fire rages over the Angora Ridge in South Lake Tahoe, USA.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_L...ia#Angora_Fire


Bison graze in Yellowstone National Park, seemingly unperturbed by the plumes of smoke surrounding them. They’ve seen many wildfires before.


Swirling smoke bellows high into the sky during the Bull Fire of 2006, which took place in the Dixie National Forest, Utah.


Deep-red flames line the horizon in this fantastic image taken near Nazko, British Columbia, in the summer of 2006
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nazko,_British_Columbia


The breath-taking power of a forest fire is even more evident at night, when red flames stand out against a dark background. Colours are particularly vibrant in this photograph, taken in the Inyo National Forest, California.


A plane scatters bright-red fire retardant chemicals onto the forest below. Planes, helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles are all used to drop water and fire retardants, such as borates and ammonium phosphates, onto forest fires.


Smoke from the Sherwin Fire, in the Inyo National Forest (the same fire in the photo above), turns the sky a hazy shade of orange.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inyo_National_Forest


This photograph of the 2007 Harris Fire was taken from the top of Mt Helix in La Mesa, California. Five civilians lost their lives to the Harris Fire, which injured 40 fire fighters and caused $21 million of damage.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harris_Fire#Harris_Fire


The juxtaposition of a forest fire and a fast moving stream make this image all the more unusual and interesting.


A group of people gather together to witness the immense power of a forest fire in Colorado.


Firemen lose their lives each year trying to tackle forest fires. It’s a hard, dangerous job. Danny, the fireman in the photo above, smiles through a smoke-blackened face.


A forest fire near Boulder, Colorado, illuminates an area of hillside in the distance. Signs of human activity lie worryingly close to the advancing flames.


A bather stands waist-deep in water in British Columbia, trying to take in the overwhelming spectacle before him.


Another perfectly timed shot of an aircraft flying low above what’s left of the forest dropping water on the wild fire below.


A spectacular shot leaves little to the imagination in terms of the perilous dangers faced by forest service firemen who regularly put their lives on the line.


In what looks almost like a staged shot, a lone tree is starkly silhouetted by a looming line of fire.


In Australia a fireman rescues a stricken koala.

[Faline]

Cool images but such a shame

[kellyhound]

luv the water dropping plane

[Kanda444]

this is a gif from my area from when i was a kid. the incident was known locally as 'firestorm 91'

In all 93 fires were burning covering over 36,500 acres, killing one civilian, and destroying 110 homes and hundreds of vehicles and out-buildings. The combined fire perimeter was in excess of 100 miles.

http://www.scfd9.org/major_incidents.htm

my home and many others in my neighborhood were told to evacuate. the fire was stopped about half a mile from my home. many of my school friends lost their homes.

while living in that same home, we were told to evacuate 5 times during my childhood. end of summer marks fire season here every year.

[Soar]

Fantastic shot of the plane unloading water!

The koala being given a drink unfortunately died.

[kingspade]

i had to deal with the colorado fires i live in the springs and it was total hell all around