We came home after a bike ride to find a forest fire (the Museum Fire) burning less than a mile from our house. We spent a few nights watching the flames from our porch. Then we got evacuated. Luckily the prevailing winds blew away from our house, the firefighters ambushed the thing, and the monsoon was on its way.
My photos sucked, of course. I fumbled a shot of a DC-10 flying low over our house, streaming red fire retardant. I just stared at the beast with my mouth open, missing my chance at being a famous frontline photographer. Dude!