Containing wildfires—never mind extinguishing them—in parched and windy conditions can be monstrously difficult. Dry vegetation is rocket fuel for blazes and wind both feeds the flames and spreads the embers. “The winds are like pointing an air blower at a fireplace,” says Gershunov, “except it’s not contained and it’s on a much larger scale.”

A Lamborghini picture during the Los Angeles fires,” the post’s caption begins. Start the day smarter. Get all the news you need in your inbox each morning. The Instagram post received more than 10,000 likes in two days.