Game cameras capture River fire in Lake County in action

Todd Lehman woke up July 30, to discover via live fire map that his 335-acre ranch on Scott's Creek had been decimated by the River fire in Lake County. The fire had defeated fire defenses and grown thousands of acres overnight, taking the ranch with it.

Aug. 5 was the first day the roads opened up and Lehman was able to reach the ranch.

"When I first saw the destruction I couldn't help but be overcome by an overwhelming feeling of amazement and respect for the true power of Mother Nature. I've never seen anything like it in person and it will be a day I'll never forget. Everything had been reduced to ash. Hillsides that were once so thick with trees and brush you couldn't walk through them are now completely barren," he said.

Lehman was able to recover a few memory cards from partially-melted game cameras and download the images. The images painted a scary scene: flames raced over the hill in a matter of minutes and animals hurried out of the fire's path. The ranch he purchased in 2015 was decimated.

Lehman found photographic and physical evidence that Cal Fire had protected the land to the best of their ability, and was in awe of their selflessness.

"It quickly became apparent to me the massive amount of resources and man hours Cal Fire must have put into trying to stop the fire at my ranch. The distinctly red hue of fire retardant was everywhere. Cal Fire made a heroic effort to stop the River fire at my ranch. To see the effort Cal Fire made and the destruction wrought by the fire speaks to the difficultly of the task they face," said Lehman.

As of Monday evening, the River fire had burned nearly 50,000 acres and is 58% contained. The blaze is part of the Mendocino Complex fires, which, combined, is now the largest in California history.

Together, the fires have scorched more than 235,000 acres and burned 75 homes. More than 3,700 firefighters are working to protect 9,300 structures threatened by the blazes.