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California wildfires of 2020

It feels like there's no escape

Up and down the length of the state, and all the way across from the Pacific Ocean to the Nevada and Arizona borders, California has been besieged this late summer by destructive wildfires and their resultant massive clouds of smoke. Meanwhile, COVID-19 continues to disrupt life as we theretofore knew it, with no end of the global pandemic in sight. Through it all, Caltrans crews have worked tirelessly to keep the state highway system open so that firefighters and other emergency personnel can do their jobs, and residents can safely evacuate from their wildfire-threatened homes. The photo gallery below shows some of the scenes Caltrans workers have come across as they work to keep roadways open during the wildfires.

Caltrans Wildfire Response

01 State Route 168 - Creek Fire
02 The El Dorado Fire off State Route 38 in District 8 (Photo by Ryan Dorsett)
03 A gas station along State Route 169 in District 6 was destroyed by the Creek Fire.
04 The Creek Fire along State Route 168 in District 6 (Photo by Carlos Lomeli)
05 The Creek Fire along State Route 168 in District 6 (Photo by Carlos Lomeli)
cs--06 The Creek Fire along State Route 168 in District 6 (Photo by Carlos Lomeli)
07 The El Dorado Fire off State Route 38 in District 8 (Photo by Ryan Dorsett)
08 The El Dorado Fire off State Route 38 in District 8 (Photo by Ryan Dorsett)
09 The El Dorado Fire off State Route 38 in District 8 (Photo by Ryan Dorsett)
10 The El Dorado Fire off State Route 38 in District 8 (Photo by Ryan Dorsett)
11 The Oak Fire in District 1 imposed a surreal look upon the small town of Willits.
12 The Bobcat Fire along State Route 39 in District 7
13 The Bobcat Fire along State Route 39 in District 7
14 The Bobcat Fire along State Route 39 in District 7
15 Wildfires caused road closures throughout District 1 (Photo by Ryan Mojica)
16 Wildfires caused road closures throughout District 1 (Photo by Ryan Mojica)
17 Wildfires caused road closures throughout District 1 (Photo by Ryan Mojica)
18 State Route 199 had a most eerie look due to wildfires in District 1. (Photo by Johnnie James)
19 In late August, the Slink Fire erupted near the Nevada border and forced closure of U.S. Highway 395 in District 9.
20 Caltrans workers explain to motorists along U.S. Highway 395 in Mono County that the Slink Fire forced a road closure.
21 An uprooted bald eagle surveys the situation during the Ranch 2 Fire in Southern California. (Photo by District 7)
22 The eagle, which had disappeared for a few days, returned for this spotting during the Bobcat Fire. (Photo by District 7)
23 The late-summer smoke over the Bay Area gave San Francisco a Mars-like appearance. (Photo by John Huseby, District 4)
24 The eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge had a surreal, science-fiction look during peak wildfire smoke. (Photo by John Huseby, District 4)
25 Air quality was palpably awful in early September along Interstate 580 just east of Castro Valley. (Photo by John Huseby, District 4)
26 What is that orange object in the sky, as seen from where State Routes 24 and 13 intersect in the East Bay? (Photo by John Huseby, District 4)
27 Caltrans workers prepare to remove a tree that fell on State Route 2 during the El Dorado Fire in San Bernardino National Forest. (Photo by Mario Salazar, District 7)
28 Media coverage of the Glass Fire in Northern California got pretty close to the action. (Photo by John Huseby, District 4)
29 The Glass Fire caused extensive roadway damage in District 4, which put Caltrans crews to the test. (Photo by John Huseby)
30 Journalists from throughout the world covered California's wildfires this year. Above, reporters attend a press briefing in District 4. (Photo by John Huseby)