Devastating photos show how wildfires are turning parts of Calfornia into an apocalyptic wasteland
The once elegant decor of the former Harbin Hot Springs Resort in Midtown, California is now covered in ashes after being attacked earlier this month by the Valley Fire.
So far, that conflagration has been the most destructive western wildfire of 2015. But it couldn't erase the eerie smiles on these stone statue's faces.
Deeper inside the resort, the inside of a bathhouse has been destroyed on the inside, but the "SILENCE" sign outside remains almost entirely untouched.
Here's another shot of the resort. While it's obviously no longer open, you can contribute to its Staff Relief Fund, which raises money for the employees who no longer have a place to work.
The Valley Fire didn't just destroy resorts — it swallowed up homes as well. Here, only the metal shackles from a car garage and the shell of an abandoned car remain in Middletown, California.
Despite California's severe drought, some home-owners kept swimming pools. Perhaps ironically, this one is now murky with ash and dirt from the fire that destroyed everything around it.
Many animals were left behind during evacuations. The death toll remains unknown.
A woman returns to the remains of a home she once lived in as a child near Middletown, California.
The hazy skyline of California's Sequoia National Forest stands behind what is left of the Kings Canyon Lodge, located southwest of Fresno.
Another fire, called the Jerusalem Fire, struck last month. The photo below shows the address numbers of two homes that were consumed by that fire in Lake County, California.
The fire destroyed the nearby homes, but the address sign remained standing. You can still make out their flame-stained numbers.
Over the last decade, big insurance companies have stopped writing policies for homeowners in high-risk wildfire zones throughout the state.
In the process of evacuation, vehicles were left behind. Here, the Butte Fire near Mountain Ranch, California, engulfs a car.
The Butte Fire unexpectedly exploded in size earlier this month, and, as a result, the California governor declared a state of emergency on Sept. 11 for Amador and Calaveras counties.
It's hard to identify this vehicle, whose body was entirely destroyed by the Butte Fire's flames.
Homes and garages burned completely to the ground in Middleton, California, but some trees in the background still retain their green leaves.
A section of the Valley Fire in the background illuminates its path of destruction through a neighborhood of homes and vehicles.
Firefighters can't predict exactly how fast the fires will grow or precisely where they'll strike. Below, a seemingly untouched green vineyard near Middleton, California sits behind a burned-out car that isn't going anywhere anymore.
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