Soberanes fire has become one of the most expensive wildfires in U.S. history
U.S. Forest Service hotshots hike back to a lookout tower after battling the Soberanes fire in Los Padres National Forest in Monterey County. (Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
Dean Riddle of the Mill Valley, Calif., Fire Department hikes through trees blanketed with fire retardant after battling the Soberanes fire in Monterey County.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
Smoke from the Soberanes fire rises above the north slope of Chews Ridge in Los Padres National Forest.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
Ahmad Bahari, a loss verifier with the U.S. Small Business Administration, surveys a property destroyed by the Soberanes fire along Palo Colorado Road in Carmel.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)Advertisement
Hotshot firefighters with the U.S. Forest Service return to a lookout after battling the Soberanes fire in Los Padres National Forest. The fire has swallowed up more than 126,000 acres so far.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
A burned-out truck sits near where a home once stood in Carmel. The Soberanes fire has destroyed several dozen homes since it was sparked by an illegal campfire on July 22.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
Members of the U.S. Forest Service Smith River Hotshot Crew wait to be air-lifted by helicopter to battle the Soberanes fire burning in Garrapata State Park in the Los Padres National Forest.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
A swimming pool and a chimney are all that remain from a home decimated by the Soberanes fire in Carmel.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)Advertisement
The U.S. Forest Service Smith River Hotshot Crew is air-lifted by helicopter to battle the Soberanes fire burning in Garrapata State Park in the Los Padres National Forest.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
A wagon destroyed by the Soberanes fire rests on Palo Colorado Road in Carmel.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
A firefighter hikes back to a lookout tower after battling the Soberanes fire on Chews Ridge in Los Padres National Forest.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)
Firefighters battling the Soberanes fire set up tents at Rana Camp off of Carmel Valley Road in Carmel.
(Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times)