Hundreds Thank Firefighters for Saving CA Town

Emotional photos and videos posted on social media show hundreds of residents of a small resort enclave in California gathering to thank firefighters who saved their town from a massive wildfire.

In a Twitter thread from local reporter Madison Wade, residents of South Lake Tahoe can be seen lining a roadway and holding signs while shouting their appreciation as fire crews head home after their deployment to contain the Caldor Fire.

Firefighters have spent weeks working to contain the blaze, which sparked evacuations and widespread fear that it would destroy the Lake Tahoe area before crews managed to steer it away from the iconic resort. As of Thursday morning, the Caldor Fire has burned nearly 220,000 acres and is 71 percent contained.

The gathering was sparked by a Facebook post by local realtor Angie Mizgireva, who also chronicled the thank you party on her page: