Goleta, California, July 4, 2008—The only Fourth of July fireworks these firefighters saw were the advancing flames of the Gap blaze in southern California.

On July 3, in just a few hours, the fire grew rapidly enough to become the state's number one firefighting priority. Power outages swept the area, and thousands of residents were forced to evacuate.

Though now mostly contained, the Gap fire is just one of hundreds of blazes threatening California in the wake of drought and lightning storms, draining state coffers and leaving thousands of homes in jeopardy.

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