5. Members of the California National Guard Evacuate and Rescue Hundreds Trapped by Wildfires In September 2020, the fifth (then fourth) largest wildfire and the largest single source wildfire in California history blazed to life and burned until the end of December, fourth months later. The Creek Fire, as it was called, destroyed hundreds of homes and required the evacuation of hundreds more residents. A California Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopter from the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade hovers above Mammoth Pool Reservoir before picking up evacuees the night of Sept. 5, 2020. | Photo credit Courtesy photo via DVIDS Luckily, thanks to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the California National Guard, there was not a single casualty. This is especially impressive given the scale of the fire and the conditions in which National Guard members worked under on one particular night in September 2020 to save residents trapped by the fire. “I received a text about a rescue mission asking if I wanted to go and I replied yes,” Army Sgt. George Esquivel said. “I don’t turn down the opportunity to go on rescue missions because it’s what we do.” National Guard members quickly volunteered to fly in on a Chinook helicopter and a Black Hawk helicopter. Although both crews and the firefighters on the ground were experienced with wildfires, the Creek Fire that night was especially challenging due to limited visibility, extreme heat and the need for night vision goggles – all during an aerial evacuation of hundreds of residents. One of the soldiers described the scene as “apocalyptic.” Evacuees from Mammoth Pools are flown to safety on a California Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter, Sept. 5, 2020, after the Creek Fire left them stranded. | Photo credit Courtesy photo via DVIDS As the flames raged around them and the winds shifted, resulting in unpredictable flight routes, the crews began evacuating groups of residents, 65 or over 100 people at a time. This was quite a feat, as the Black Hawk helicopter they were flying is designed to only carry approximately 30 people. The flight crews tended to the injured and families on board while also coordinating perfectly with one another and alternating landings as quickly as possible to get as many residents out as possible. In the end, the National Guard members rescued 242 people in one night. “We appreciate the praise that we’re getting, but we’re not a godsend or special people, we’re just ordinary people that did our job,” said Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Irvin Hernandez. “This is what we do and we love it.”
0126
DreamShaper
5. Members of the California National Guard Evacuate and Rescue Hundreds Trapped by Wildfires In September 2020, the fifth (then fourth) largest wildfire and the largest single source wildfire in California history blazed to life and burned until the end of December, fourth months later. The Creek Fire, as it was called, destroyed hundreds of homes and required the evacuation of hundreds more residents. A California Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopter from the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade hovers above Mammoth Pool Reservoir before picking up evacuees the night of Sept. 5, 2020. | Photo credit Courtesy photo via DVIDS Luckily, thanks to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the California National Guard, there was not a single casualty. This is especially impressive given the scale of the fire and the conditions in which National Guard members worked under on one particular night in September 2020 to save residents trapped by the fire. “I received a text about a rescue mission asking if I wanted to go and I replied yes,” Army Sgt. George Esquivel said. “I don’t turn down the opportunity to go on rescue missions because it’s what we do.” National Guard members quickly volunteered to fly in on a Chinook helicopter and a Black Hawk helicopter. Although both crews and the firefighters on the ground were experienced with wildfires, the Creek Fire that night was especially challenging due to limited visibility, extreme heat and the need for night vision goggles – all during an aerial evacuation of hundreds of residents. One of the soldiers described the scene as “apocalyptic.” Evacuees from Mammoth Pools are flown to safety on a California Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter, Sept. 5, 2020, after the Creek Fire left them stranded. | Photo credit Courtesy photo via DVIDS As the flames raged around them and the winds shifted, resulting in unpredictable flight routes, the crews began evacuating groups of residents, 65 or over 100 people at a time. This was quite a feat, as the Black Hawk helicopter they were flying is designed to only carry approximately 30 people. The flight crews tended to the injured and families on board while also coordinating perfectly with one another and alternating landings as quickly as possible to get as many residents out as possible. In the end, the National Guard members rescued 242 people in one night. “We appreciate the praise that we’re getting, but we’re not a godsend or special people, we’re just ordinary people that did our job,” said Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Irvin Hernandez. “This is what we do and we love it.”
110
Hero
"A professional news broadcast interrupts regular programming with a bright red 'BREAKING NEWS' banner. The screen cuts to a live aerial shot of a nuclear power plant, just as a massive explosion tears through one of the reactor buildings. A blinding white flash is followed by a fireball, shockwave, and rising mushroom cloud. The camera shakes and distorts from the blast. Cut to a news anchor in the studio, visibly shaken but trying to stay composed. He says: 'We are interrupting live to bring you urgent news: a catastrophic explosion has just occurred at the Clearwater Nuclear Facility. We repeat — a nuclear reactor has exploded. The cause is currently unknown. This footage is live.' The broadcast cuts between chaotic live footage: panicked evacuations, emergency crews, distant sirens, and ash raining from the sky. On-screen graphics show a map with a growing red contamination zone. Radiation levels scroll across the bottom ticker. Cut to a field reporter in a hazmat suit near the exclusion perimeter. She yells over the noise: 'The situation here is rapidly deteriorating — the radiation is spiking, and officials are urging all residents within 30 kilometers to evacuate immediately. I can see fire crews moving in, but—' The feed glitches out briefly, then returns with static and emergency alerts. The segment ends with the anchor solemnly saying: 'This is a developing situation. Stay indoors. Do not go outside. More updates as we get them.'*
3193
Veo
5. Members of the California National Guard Evacuate and Rescue Hundreds Trapped by Wildfires In September 2020, the fifth (then fourth) largest wildfire and the largest single source wildfire in California history blazed to life and burned until the end of December, fourth months later. The Creek Fire, as it was called, destroyed hundreds of homes and required the evacuation of hundreds more residents. A California Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopter from the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade hovers above Mammoth Pool Reservoir before picking up evacuees the night of Sept. 5, 2020. | Photo credit Courtesy photo via DVIDS Luckily, thanks to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the California National Guard, there was not a single casualty. This is especially impressive given the scale of the fire and the conditions in which National Guard members worked under on one particular night in September 2020 to save residents trapped by the fire. “I received a text about a rescue mission asking if I wanted to go and I replied yes,” Army Sgt. George Esquivel said. “I don’t turn down the opportunity to go on rescue missions because it’s what we do.” National Guard members quickly volunteered to fly in on a Chinook helicopter and a Black Hawk helicopter. Although both crews and the firefighters on the ground were experienced with wildfires, the Creek Fire that night was especially challenging due to limited visibility, extreme heat and the need for night vision goggles – all during an aerial evacuation of hundreds of residents. One of the soldiers described the scene as “apocalyptic.” Evacuees from Mammoth Pools are flown to safety on a California Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter, Sept. 5, 2020, after the Creek Fire left them stranded. | Photo credit Courtesy photo via DVIDS As the flames raged around them and the winds shifted, resulting in unpredictable flight routes, the crews began evacuating groups of residents, 65 or over 100 people at a time. This was quite a feat, as the Black Hawk helicopter they were flying is designed to only carry approximately 30 people. The flight crews tended to the injured and families on board while also coordinating perfectly with one another and alternating landings as quickly as possible to get as many residents out as possible. In the end, the National Guard members rescued 242 people in one night. “We appreciate the praise that we’re getting, but we’re not a godsend or special people, we’re just ordinary people that did our job,” said Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Irvin Hernandez. “This is what we do and we love it.”
0126
DreamShaper
5. Members of the California National Guard Evacuate and Rescue Hundreds Trapped by Wildfires In September 2020, the fifth (then fourth) largest wildfire and the largest single source wildfire in California history blazed to life and burned until the end of December, fourth months later. The Creek Fire, as it was called, destroyed hundreds of homes and required the evacuation of hundreds more residents. A California Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopter from the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade hovers above Mammoth Pool Reservoir before picking up evacuees the night of Sept. 5, 2020. | Photo credit Courtesy photo via DVIDS Luckily, thanks to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the California National Guard, there was not a single casualty. This is especially impressive given the scale of the fire and the conditions in which National Guard members worked under on one particular night in September 2020 to save residents trapped by the fire. “I received a text about a rescue mission asking if I wanted to go and I replied yes,” Army Sgt. George Esquivel said. “I don’t turn down the opportunity to go on rescue missions because it’s what we do.” National Guard members quickly volunteered to fly in on a Chinook helicopter and a Black Hawk helicopter. Although both crews and the firefighters on the ground were experienced with wildfires, the Creek Fire that night was especially challenging due to limited visibility, extreme heat and the need for night vision goggles – all during an aerial evacuation of hundreds of residents. One of the soldiers described the scene as “apocalyptic.” Evacuees from Mammoth Pools are flown to safety on a California Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter, Sept. 5, 2020, after the Creek Fire left them stranded. | Photo credit Courtesy photo via DVIDS As the flames raged around them and the winds shifted, resulting in unpredictable flight routes, the crews began evacuating groups of residents, 65 or over 100 people at a time. This was quite a feat, as the Black Hawk helicopter they were flying is designed to only carry approximately 30 people. The flight crews tended to the injured and families on board while also coordinating perfectly with one another and alternating landings as quickly as possible to get as many residents out as possible. In the end, the National Guard members rescued 242 people in one night. “We appreciate the praise that we’re getting, but we’re not a godsend or special people, we’re just ordinary people that did our job,” said Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Irvin Hernandez. “This is what we do and we love it.”
110
Hero
"A professional news broadcast interrupts regular programming with a bright red 'BREAKING NEWS' banner. The screen cuts to a live aerial shot of a nuclear power plant, just as a massive explosion tears through one of the reactor buildings. A blinding white flash is followed by a fireball, shockwave, and rising mushroom cloud. The camera shakes and distorts from the blast. Cut to a news anchor in the studio, visibly shaken but trying to stay composed. He says: 'We are interrupting live to bring you urgent news: a catastrophic explosion has just occurred at the Clearwater Nuclear Facility. We repeat — a nuclear reactor has exploded. The cause is currently unknown. This footage is live.' The broadcast cuts between chaotic live footage: panicked evacuations, emergency crews, distant sirens, and ash raining from the sky. On-screen graphics show a map with a growing red contamination zone. Radiation levels scroll across the bottom ticker. Cut to a field reporter in a hazmat suit near the exclusion perimeter. She yells over the noise: 'The situation here is rapidly deteriorating — the radiation is spiking, and officials are urging all residents within 30 kilometers to evacuate immediately. I can see fire crews moving in, but—' The feed glitches out briefly, then returns with static and emergency alerts. The segment ends with the anchor solemnly saying: 'This is a developing situation. Stay indoors. Do not go outside. More updates as we get them.'*
3193
Veo
5. Members of the California National Guard Evacuate and Rescue Hundreds Trapped by Wildfires In September 2020, the fifth (then fourth) largest wildfire and the largest single source wildfire in California history blazed to life and burned until the end of December, fourth months later. The Creek Fire, as it was called, destroyed hundreds of homes and required the evacuation of hundreds more residents. A California Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopter from the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade hovers above Mammoth Pool Reservoir before picking up evacuees the night of Sept. 5, 2020. | Photo credit Courtesy photo via DVIDS Luckily, thanks to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the California National Guard, there was not a single casualty. This is especially impressive given the scale of the fire and the conditions in which National Guard members worked under on one particular night in September 2020 to save residents trapped by the fire. “I received a text about a rescue mission asking if I wanted to go and I replied yes,” Army Sgt. George Esquivel said. “I don’t turn down the opportunity to go on rescue missions because it’s what we do.” National Guard members quickly volunteered to fly in on a Chinook helicopter and a Black Hawk helicopter. Although both crews and the firefighters on the ground were experienced with wildfires, the Creek Fire that night was especially challenging due to limited visibility, extreme heat and the need for night vision goggles – all during an aerial evacuation of hundreds of residents. One of the soldiers described the scene as “apocalyptic.” Evacuees from Mammoth Pools are flown to safety on a California Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter, Sept. 5, 2020, after the Creek Fire left them stranded. | Photo credit Courtesy photo via DVIDS As the flames raged around them and the winds shifted, resulting in unpredictable flight routes, the crews began evacuating groups of residents, 65 or over 100 people at a time. This was quite a feat, as the Black Hawk helicopter they were flying is designed to only carry approximately 30 people. The flight crews tended to the injured and families on board while also coordinating perfectly with one another and alternating landings as quickly as possible to get as many residents out as possible. In the end, the National Guard members rescued 242 people in one night. “We appreciate the praise that we’re getting, but we’re not a godsend or special people, we’re just ordinary people that did our job,” said Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Irvin Hernandez. “This is what we do and we love it.”
0126
DreamShaper
5. Members of the California National Guard Evacuate and Rescue Hundreds Trapped by Wildfires In September 2020, the fifth (then fourth) largest wildfire and the largest single source wildfire in California history blazed to life and burned until the end of December, fourth months later. The Creek Fire, as it was called, destroyed hundreds of homes and required the evacuation of hundreds more residents. A California Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopter from the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade hovers above Mammoth Pool Reservoir before picking up evacuees the night of Sept. 5, 2020. | Photo credit Courtesy photo via DVIDS Luckily, thanks to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the California National Guard, there was not a single casualty. This is especially impressive given the scale of the fire and the conditions in which National Guard members worked under on one particular night in September 2020 to save residents trapped by the fire. “I received a text about a rescue mission asking if I wanted to go and I replied yes,” Army Sgt. George Esquivel said. “I don’t turn down the opportunity to go on rescue missions because it’s what we do.” National Guard members quickly volunteered to fly in on a Chinook helicopter and a Black Hawk helicopter. Although both crews and the firefighters on the ground were experienced with wildfires, the Creek Fire that night was especially challenging due to limited visibility, extreme heat and the need for night vision goggles – all during an aerial evacuation of hundreds of residents. One of the soldiers described the scene as “apocalyptic.” Evacuees from Mammoth Pools are flown to safety on a California Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter, Sept. 5, 2020, after the Creek Fire left them stranded. | Photo credit Courtesy photo via DVIDS As the flames raged around them and the winds shifted, resulting in unpredictable flight routes, the crews began evacuating groups of residents, 65 or over 100 people at a time. This was quite a feat, as the Black Hawk helicopter they were flying is designed to only carry approximately 30 people. The flight crews tended to the injured and families on board while also coordinating perfectly with one another and alternating landings as quickly as possible to get as many residents out as possible. In the end, the National Guard members rescued 242 people in one night. “We appreciate the praise that we’re getting, but we’re not a godsend or special people, we’re just ordinary people that did our job,” said Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Irvin Hernandez. “This is what we do and we love it.”
110
Hero
"A professional news broadcast interrupts regular programming with a bright red 'BREAKING NEWS' banner. The screen cuts to a live aerial shot of a nuclear power plant, just as a massive explosion tears through one of the reactor buildings. A blinding white flash is followed by a fireball, shockwave, and rising mushroom cloud. The camera shakes and distorts from the blast. Cut to a news anchor in the studio, visibly shaken but trying to stay composed. He says: 'We are interrupting live to bring you urgent news: a catastrophic explosion has just occurred at the Clearwater Nuclear Facility. We repeat — a nuclear reactor has exploded. The cause is currently unknown. This footage is live.' The broadcast cuts between chaotic live footage: panicked evacuations, emergency crews, distant sirens, and ash raining from the sky. On-screen graphics show a map with a growing red contamination zone. Radiation levels scroll across the bottom ticker. Cut to a field reporter in a hazmat suit near the exclusion perimeter. She yells over the noise: 'The situation here is rapidly deteriorating — the radiation is spiking, and officials are urging all residents within 30 kilometers to evacuate immediately. I can see fire crews moving in, but—' The feed glitches out briefly, then returns with static and emergency alerts. The segment ends with the anchor solemnly saying: 'This is a developing situation. Stay indoors. Do not go outside. More updates as we get them.'*
3193
Veo
5. Members of the California National Guard Evacuate and Rescue Hundreds Trapped by Wildfires In September 2020, the fifth (then fourth) largest wildfire and the largest single source wildfire in California history blazed to life and burned until the end of December, fourth months later. The Creek Fire, as it was called, destroyed hundreds of homes and required the evacuation of hundreds more residents. A California Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopter from the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade hovers above Mammoth Pool Reservoir before picking up evacuees the night of Sept. 5, 2020. | Photo credit Courtesy photo via DVIDS Luckily, thanks to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the California National Guard, there was not a single casualty. This is especially impressive given the scale of the fire and the conditions in which National Guard members worked under on one particular night in September 2020 to save residents trapped by the fire. “I received a text about a rescue mission asking if I wanted to go and I replied yes,” Army Sgt. George Esquivel said. “I don’t turn down the opportunity to go on rescue missions because it’s what we do.” National Guard members quickly volunteered to fly in on a Chinook helicopter and a Black Hawk helicopter. Although both crews and the firefighters on the ground were experienced with wildfires, the Creek Fire that night was especially challenging due to limited visibility, extreme heat and the need for night vision goggles – all during an aerial evacuation of hundreds of residents. One of the soldiers described the scene as “apocalyptic.” Evacuees from Mammoth Pools are flown to safety on a California Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter, Sept. 5, 2020, after the Creek Fire left them stranded. | Photo credit Courtesy photo via DVIDS As the flames raged around them and the winds shifted, resulting in unpredictable flight routes, the crews began evacuating groups of residents, 65 or over 100 people at a time. This was quite a feat, as the Black Hawk helicopter they were flying is designed to only carry approximately 30 people. The flight crews tended to the injured and families on board while also coordinating perfectly with one another and alternating landings as quickly as possible to get as many residents out as possible. In the end, the National Guard members rescued 242 people in one night. “We appreciate the praise that we’re getting, but we’re not a godsend or special people, we’re just ordinary people that did our job,” said Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Irvin Hernandez. “This is what we do and we love it.”
0126
DreamShaper
5. Members of the California National Guard Evacuate and Rescue Hundreds Trapped by Wildfires In September 2020, the fifth (then fourth) largest wildfire and the largest single source wildfire in California history blazed to life and burned until the end of December, fourth months later. The Creek Fire, as it was called, destroyed hundreds of homes and required the evacuation of hundreds more residents. A California Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopter from the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade hovers above Mammoth Pool Reservoir before picking up evacuees the night of Sept. 5, 2020. | Photo credit Courtesy photo via DVIDS Luckily, thanks to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the California National Guard, there was not a single casualty. This is especially impressive given the scale of the fire and the conditions in which National Guard members worked under on one particular night in September 2020 to save residents trapped by the fire. “I received a text about a rescue mission asking if I wanted to go and I replied yes,” Army Sgt. George Esquivel said. “I don’t turn down the opportunity to go on rescue missions because it’s what we do.” National Guard members quickly volunteered to fly in on a Chinook helicopter and a Black Hawk helicopter. Although both crews and the firefighters on the ground were experienced with wildfires, the Creek Fire that night was especially challenging due to limited visibility, extreme heat and the need for night vision goggles – all during an aerial evacuation of hundreds of residents. One of the soldiers described the scene as “apocalyptic.” Evacuees from Mammoth Pools are flown to safety on a California Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter, Sept. 5, 2020, after the Creek Fire left them stranded. | Photo credit Courtesy photo via DVIDS As the flames raged around them and the winds shifted, resulting in unpredictable flight routes, the crews began evacuating groups of residents, 65 or over 100 people at a time. This was quite a feat, as the Black Hawk helicopter they were flying is designed to only carry approximately 30 people. The flight crews tended to the injured and families on board while also coordinating perfectly with one another and alternating landings as quickly as possible to get as many residents out as possible. In the end, the National Guard members rescued 242 people in one night. “We appreciate the praise that we’re getting, but we’re not a godsend or special people, we’re just ordinary people that did our job,” said Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Irvin Hernandez. “This is what we do and we love it.”
110
Hero
"A professional news broadcast interrupts regular programming with a bright red 'BREAKING NEWS' banner. The screen cuts to a live aerial shot of a nuclear power plant, just as a massive explosion tears through one of the reactor buildings. A blinding white flash is followed by a fireball, shockwave, and rising mushroom cloud. The camera shakes and distorts from the blast. Cut to a news anchor in the studio, visibly shaken but trying to stay composed. He says: 'We are interrupting live to bring you urgent news: a catastrophic explosion has just occurred at the Clearwater Nuclear Facility. We repeat — a nuclear reactor has exploded. The cause is currently unknown. This footage is live.' The broadcast cuts between chaotic live footage: panicked evacuations, emergency crews, distant sirens, and ash raining from the sky. On-screen graphics show a map with a growing red contamination zone. Radiation levels scroll across the bottom ticker. Cut to a field reporter in a hazmat suit near the exclusion perimeter. She yells over the noise: 'The situation here is rapidly deteriorating — the radiation is spiking, and officials are urging all residents within 30 kilometers to evacuate immediately. I can see fire crews moving in, but—' The feed glitches out briefly, then returns with static and emergency alerts. The segment ends with the anchor solemnly saying: 'This is a developing situation. Stay indoors. Do not go outside. More updates as we get them.'*
3193
Veo
5. Members of the California National Guard Evacuate and Rescue Hundreds Trapped by Wildfires In September 2020, the fifth (then fourth) largest wildfire and the largest single source wildfire in California history blazed to life and burned until the end of December, fourth months later. The Creek Fire, as it was called, destroyed hundreds of homes and required the evacuation of hundreds more residents. A California Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopter from the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade hovers above Mammoth Pool Reservoir before picking up evacuees the night of Sept. 5, 2020. | Photo credit Courtesy photo via DVIDS Luckily, thanks to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the California National Guard, there was not a single casualty. This is especially impressive given the scale of the fire and the conditions in which National Guard members worked under on one particular night in September 2020 to save residents trapped by the fire. “I received a text about a rescue mission asking if I wanted to go and I replied yes,” Army Sgt. George Esquivel said. “I don’t turn down the opportunity to go on rescue missions because it’s what we do.” National Guard members quickly volunteered to fly in on a Chinook helicopter and a Black Hawk helicopter. Although both crews and the firefighters on the ground were experienced with wildfires, the Creek Fire that night was especially challenging due to limited visibility, extreme heat and the need for night vision goggles – all during an aerial evacuation of hundreds of residents. One of the soldiers described the scene as “apocalyptic.” Evacuees from Mammoth Pools are flown to safety on a California Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter, Sept. 5, 2020, after the Creek Fire left them stranded. | Photo credit Courtesy photo via DVIDS As the flames raged around them and the winds shifted, resulting in unpredictable flight routes, the crews began evacuating groups of residents, 65 or over 100 people at a time. This was quite a feat, as the Black Hawk helicopter they were flying is designed to only carry approximately 30 people. The flight crews tended to the injured and families on board while also coordinating perfectly with one another and alternating landings as quickly as possible to get as many residents out as possible. In the end, the National Guard members rescued 242 people in one night. “We appreciate the praise that we’re getting, but we’re not a godsend or special people, we’re just ordinary people that did our job,” said Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Irvin Hernandez. “This is what we do and we love it.”
0126
DreamShaper
"A professional news broadcast interrupts regular programming with a bright red 'BREAKING NEWS' banner. The screen cuts to a live aerial shot of a nuclear power plant, just as a massive explosion tears through one of the reactor buildings. A blinding white flash is followed by a fireball, shockwave, and rising mushroom cloud. The camera shakes and distorts from the blast. Cut to a news anchor in the studio, visibly shaken but trying to stay composed. He says: 'We are interrupting live to bring you urgent news: a catastrophic explosion has just occurred at the Clearwater Nuclear Facility. We repeat — a nuclear reactor has exploded. The cause is currently unknown. This footage is live.' The broadcast cuts between chaotic live footage: panicked evacuations, emergency crews, distant sirens, and ash raining from the sky. On-screen graphics show a map with a growing red contamination zone. Radiation levels scroll across the bottom ticker. Cut to a field reporter in a hazmat suit near the exclusion perimeter. She yells over the noise: 'The situation here is rapidly deteriorating — the radiation is spiking, and officials are urging all residents within 30 kilometers to evacuate immediately. I can see fire crews moving in, but—' The feed glitches out briefly, then returns with static and emergency alerts. The segment ends with the anchor solemnly saying: 'This is a developing situation. Stay indoors. Do not go outside. More updates as we get them.'*
3193
Veo
5. Members of the California National Guard Evacuate and Rescue Hundreds Trapped by Wildfires In September 2020, the fifth (then fourth) largest wildfire and the largest single source wildfire in California history blazed to life and burned until the end of December, fourth months later. The Creek Fire, as it was called, destroyed hundreds of homes and required the evacuation of hundreds more residents. A California Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopter from the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade hovers above Mammoth Pool Reservoir before picking up evacuees the night of Sept. 5, 2020. | Photo credit Courtesy photo via DVIDS Luckily, thanks to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the California National Guard, there was not a single casualty. This is especially impressive given the scale of the fire and the conditions in which National Guard members worked under on one particular night in September 2020 to save residents trapped by the fire. “I received a text about a rescue mission asking if I wanted to go and I replied yes,” Army Sgt. George Esquivel said. “I don’t turn down the opportunity to go on rescue missions because it’s what we do.” National Guard members quickly volunteered to fly in on a Chinook helicopter and a Black Hawk helicopter. Although both crews and the firefighters on the ground were experienced with wildfires, the Creek Fire that night was especially challenging due to limited visibility, extreme heat and the need for night vision goggles – all during an aerial evacuation of hundreds of residents. One of the soldiers described the scene as “apocalyptic.” Evacuees from Mammoth Pools are flown to safety on a California Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter, Sept. 5, 2020, after the Creek Fire left them stranded. | Photo credit Courtesy photo via DVIDS As the flames raged around them and the winds shifted, resulting in unpredictable flight routes, the crews began evacuating groups of residents, 65 or over 100 people at a time. This was quite a feat, as the Black Hawk helicopter they were flying is designed to only carry approximately 30 people. The flight crews tended to the injured and families on board while also coordinating perfectly with one another and alternating landings as quickly as possible to get as many residents out as possible. In the end, the National Guard members rescued 242 people in one night. “We appreciate the praise that we’re getting, but we’re not a godsend or special people, we’re just ordinary people that did our job,” said Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Irvin Hernandez. “This is what we do and we love it.”
110
Hero
5. Members of the California National Guard Evacuate and Rescue Hundreds Trapped by Wildfires In September 2020, the fifth (then fourth) largest wildfire and the largest single source wildfire in California history blazed to life and burned until the end of December, fourth months later. The Creek Fire, as it was called, destroyed hundreds of homes and required the evacuation of hundreds more residents. A California Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopter from the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade hovers above Mammoth Pool Reservoir before picking up evacuees the night of Sept. 5, 2020. | Photo credit Courtesy photo via DVIDS Luckily, thanks to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the California National Guard, there was not a single casualty. This is especially impressive given the scale of the fire and the conditions in which National Guard members worked under on one particular night in September 2020 to save residents trapped by the fire. “I received a text about a rescue mission asking if I wanted to go and I replied yes,” Army Sgt. George Esquivel said. “I don’t turn down the opportunity to go on rescue missions because it’s what we do.” National Guard members quickly volunteered to fly in on a Chinook helicopter and a Black Hawk helicopter. Although both crews and the firefighters on the ground were experienced with wildfires, the Creek Fire that night was especially challenging due to limited visibility, extreme heat and the need for night vision goggles – all during an aerial evacuation of hundreds of residents. One of the soldiers described the scene as “apocalyptic.” Evacuees from Mammoth Pools are flown to safety on a California Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter, Sept. 5, 2020, after the Creek Fire left them stranded. | Photo credit Courtesy photo via DVIDS As the flames raged around them and the winds shifted, resulting in unpredictable flight routes, the crews began evacuating groups of residents, 65 or over 100 people at a time. This was quite a feat, as the Black Hawk helicopter they were flying is designed to only carry approximately 30 people. The flight crews tended to the injured and families on board while also coordinating perfectly with one another and alternating landings as quickly as possible to get as many residents out as possible. In the end, the National Guard members rescued 242 people in one night. “We appreciate the praise that we’re getting, but we’re not a godsend or special people, we’re just ordinary people that did our job,” said Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Irvin Hernandez. “This is what we do and we love it.”
0126
DreamShaper
5. Members of the California National Guard Evacuate and Rescue Hundreds Trapped by Wildfires In September 2020, the fifth (then fourth) largest wildfire and the largest single source wildfire in California history blazed to life and burned until the end of December, fourth months later. The Creek Fire, as it was called, destroyed hundreds of homes and required the evacuation of hundreds more residents. A California Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopter from the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade hovers above Mammoth Pool Reservoir before picking up evacuees the night of Sept. 5, 2020. | Photo credit Courtesy photo via DVIDS Luckily, thanks to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and the California National Guard, there was not a single casualty. This is especially impressive given the scale of the fire and the conditions in which National Guard members worked under on one particular night in September 2020 to save residents trapped by the fire. “I received a text about a rescue mission asking if I wanted to go and I replied yes,” Army Sgt. George Esquivel said. “I don’t turn down the opportunity to go on rescue missions because it’s what we do.” National Guard members quickly volunteered to fly in on a Chinook helicopter and a Black Hawk helicopter. Although both crews and the firefighters on the ground were experienced with wildfires, the Creek Fire that night was especially challenging due to limited visibility, extreme heat and the need for night vision goggles – all during an aerial evacuation of hundreds of residents. One of the soldiers described the scene as “apocalyptic.” Evacuees from Mammoth Pools are flown to safety on a California Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter, Sept. 5, 2020, after the Creek Fire left them stranded. | Photo credit Courtesy photo via DVIDS As the flames raged around them and the winds shifted, resulting in unpredictable flight routes, the crews began evacuating groups of residents, 65 or over 100 people at a time. This was quite a feat, as the Black Hawk helicopter they were flying is designed to only carry approximately 30 people. The flight crews tended to the injured and families on board while also coordinating perfectly with one another and alternating landings as quickly as possible to get as many residents out as possible. In the end, the National Guard members rescued 242 people in one night. “We appreciate the praise that we’re getting, but we’re not a godsend or special people, we’re just ordinary people that did our job,” said Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Irvin Hernandez. “This is what we do and we love it.”
110
Hero
"A professional news broadcast interrupts regular programming with a bright red 'BREAKING NEWS' banner. The screen cuts to a live aerial shot of a nuclear power plant, just as a massive explosion tears through one of the reactor buildings. A blinding white flash is followed by a fireball, shockwave, and rising mushroom cloud. The camera shakes and distorts from the blast. Cut to a news anchor in the studio, visibly shaken but trying to stay composed. He says: 'We are interrupting live to bring you urgent news: a catastrophic explosion has just occurred at the Clearwater Nuclear Facility. We repeat — a nuclear reactor has exploded. The cause is currently unknown. This footage is live.' The broadcast cuts between chaotic live footage: panicked evacuations, emergency crews, distant sirens, and ash raining from the sky. On-screen graphics show a map with a growing red contamination zone. Radiation levels scroll across the bottom ticker. Cut to a field reporter in a hazmat suit near the exclusion perimeter. She yells over the noise: 'The situation here is rapidly deteriorating — the radiation is spiking, and officials are urging all residents within 30 kilometers to evacuate immediately. I can see fire crews moving in, but—' The feed glitches out briefly, then returns with static and emergency alerts. The segment ends with the anchor solemnly saying: 'This is a developing situation. Stay indoors. Do not go outside. More updates as we get them.'*
3193
Veo