A DC-10 drops fire retardant on the Ponderosa Fire Monday Aug. 20, 2012, near Paynes Creek, Calif. Nearly 1,900 firefighters were battling the Ponderosa Fire in rugged, densely forested terrain as it threatened 3,500 homes in the towns of Manton, Shingletown and Viola, about 170 miles north of Sacramento. (AP Photo/The Record Searchlight, Andreas Fuhrmann)