Photos From the Valley Fire

A Tornado of Fire Swept Through Town

Byline photo of JoshuOne Barnes

JoshuOne Barnes, Investigative Reporter • September 15, 2015

JoshuOne Barnes

Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calidstoga, Calif.

Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. — JoshuOne Barnes
A home lies in ruins behind a relatively unharmed fence after being ravaged by the Valley Fire in Middletown, Calif. The fire destroyed more than 585 homes and the cause is still unknown, according to CalFire. The Red Cross has set up shelters throughout the affected areas, including at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif.

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Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. — JoshuOne Barnes
The Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after a tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. Vast neighborhoods suffered catastrophic losses, including 585 homes and many more structures. The cause of the wildfire is still unknown, according to CalFire.

Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. — JoshuOne Barnes
Very little remains of the many homes lost to the Valley Fire in Middletown, Calif. on Sept. 15 2015. Fire officials continue to investigate the cause of the fire while displaced residents grapple with the magnitude of the losses at several evacuation centers established throughout the area.

Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. — JoshuOne Barnes
The shell of a home stands as a charred reminder of the grace lost in the sleepy Northern Calif. town of Middletown as the Valley Fire ravaged through the streets in a flurry of destruction. Many residents fled with only minutes to prepare.

Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. — JoshuOne Barnes
In neighborhood after neighborhood in Middletown, Calif. the buildings left standing after the Valley Fire swept through town were the exception on Sept. 15, 2015. Intense heat from the fast-moving fire reduced entire sections of the town to the burnt-out husks of metal appliances.

Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. — JoshuOne Barnes
Piles of ash and metal stand where apartments once were in Middletown, Calif. on Sept 15, 2105. The Valley fire leveled entire sections of the town as fast-moving flames ripped through the town on Saturday Sept. 12, giving residents little time to do anything but flee for their lives with the clothes on their back.

Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. — JoshuOne Barnes
Cars throughout Middletown, Calif. are left as empty husks with melted pools of cooled metal and wires at their base after the Valley Fire ravaged through town overnight Saturday Sept. 12, 2015.

Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calidstoga, Calif. — JoshuOne Barnes
Amid the devastation, a pepper plant stands roasted where it grew in Middletown, Calif. on Sept. 15, 2015. CalFire officials are still looking for a cause for the fire which destroyed more than 585 homes, injured four firefighters and left one woman dead.

Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. — JoshuOne Barnes
Some homes in the flame’s path were spared total destruction even while surrounded by the fast-moving wildfire.

Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. — JoshuOne Barnes

Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. — JoshuOne Barnes

Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. — JoshuOne Barnes

Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. — JoshuOne Barnes

Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. — JoshuOne Barnes

Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. — JoshuOne Barnes

Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. — JoshuOne Barnes

Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. — JoshuOne Barnes

Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. — JoshuOne Barnes

Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. — JoshuOne Barnes

Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. — JoshuOne Barnes

Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. — JoshuOne Barnes

Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. — JoshuOne Barnes

Napa Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. on Sept. 15, 2015 Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. — JoshuOne Barnes
Napa Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. on Sept. 15, 2015

Napa Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. on Sept. 15, 2015 Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. — JoshuOne Barnes
Napa Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. on Sept. 15, 2015

Napa Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. on Sept. 15, 2015 Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. — JoshuOne Barnes
Napa Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. on Sept. 15, 2015

Napa Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. on Sept. 15, 2015 Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. — JoshuOne Barnes
Napa Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. on Sept. 15, 2015

Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze. The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif. — JoshuOne Barnes
Valley fire leaves Middletown Calif. with utter destruction after tornado of fire blew through the town on the evening of Sept. 12. Residents reported having to flee the fire as the surrounding mountains were ablaze.
The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Napa County Fairgrounds in Calistoga, Calif.

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