Trotter: ‘The fire was spreading quickly across Los Angeles and went on to burn more than 23,000 acres of the Cleveland national forest. This image was taken in a residential park below the hills as the fire made its way down from the mountains towards an industrial area. Getty Images photographer Mario Tama placed the camera on a tripod to create the long exposure required to capture the blur of smoke and flames. Luckily, firefighters were able to contain the fire before it reached this industrial storage facility, but the image evokes the sense of impending danger that these fires bring.’

Photograph: Mario Tama/Getty Images