We had our first series of wildfires this weekend. A lightning strike in the Pine Nuts in Douglas county started us off. Then we had a real thriller yesterday on Peavine Mountain above Reno. Still waiting to hear what the exact cause of this one was. High winds and dry conditions made this an extremely dangerous fire. It made for an exciting afternoon Saturday if you were anywhere near the area. I live on top of a hill that gave us a great vantage point to watch the fire and the heroic efforts to put it out. Huge Tanker planes dropped load after load of brightly colored fire retardant on the fire and around it to create a fire break. I used a long lens to capture some of the action. We were miles from the fire.
The pilots worked this fire in an incredibly choregraphed dance that had them in and out of the smoke, flying just off the ground, and soaring back into the sky making it all look effortless. This has to be a huge adrenalin rush and scary as hell.
Amazing work by these pilots. They saved many homes and lives this day. Thank you!
Northern Desert Photography 
Wow!!!
Sorry that fires have started already, although the ones here in San Diego have not become big and bad. That must be some long lens if you got such great shots from several miles away!
Stunning photos, but way too soon for fire season. What’s next? Conquest or famine?
Glad you are safe. Amazing photos. My daughter in NSW knows all about bushfires.
An incredible photographic opportunity in such sad circumstances.
Holding my breath for fire season to pass. So far, so good. Just hope it lasts.
Great shots of those tankers.
Thanks! Yes crossing my fingers for a easy fire season.
great photos. your timing is as always dead on.
These pictures are amazing. Great shot and a fantastic timing!
You don’t seem to be that far away from the smoke either… it must be the lens, like you said n your comments. Still, the sight and sound combination must have been exhilarating.
Glad I’m not a pilot’s mom!
Thank you very much for sharing.
Thank you! It was exciting to watch.
Thank you for sharing these stunning images.
It is so sad to know that the fire season has already begun. Your photos are colorful and show what it looks like from an observer’s perspective.
surreal, beautiful
Saw this one andis still 👏 amazing
Great photos 🍂
Thank you!