Here’s a photo tribute to all the brave firefighters battling recent fires that threaten thousands of homes and lives this spring.

In Southern California, firefighters expect to fully contain the latest wildfire that’s scorched 44 square miles of mountainous territory by this afternoon. According to investigators, arson was ruled out as the cause of the fire and an accidental roadside ignition may have initially lit the blaze, which is one of over 600 wildfires endured by California so far this year.

See more photos in the California Wildfires 2013 gallery.

Photos from Code20Photog, G.Chamberlain, jdmuth, G. Reaper, Have Fun SVO, and Sergio Antonio Martinez.