Larry Daniels wrote: "Are all of you area guys OK?....Anybody in the
path?....Those fires do not look good. Stay safe."
These are, without a doubt, the worst Southern California fires I have seen in
my 70 years. At the present time, there are about 20 of them in a 175 long
line from Piru in the north to San Diego in the South. The devastation is
beyond belief, and growing so quickly that even the media cannot keep count
with the homes lost (c. 1,200) and acreage lost (c. 500,000). The temperatures
are still hovering near 100, and the winds reaching 70 mph. Combined with the
long drought, low humidity and dew point, Southern California has been a
tinderbox. Many of the fires would have ignited through natural combustion,
but have been made worse by clear cases of arson.
Here in Anaheim, we are "safe"; a relative term since in similar weather 23
years ago, 10 square blocks across the street from our house were burned to the
ground. Outside, our temperature is 98, and the winds gusting no more that
25-30 mph. Our swimming pool is a quagmire of dirt and debris carried in on
the winds, and we have lost several "breakable" items outside. Big deal. (For
the Sprite content, a massive tree branch broke and fell inches from the
Sprite! Uh, no driving of the Sprite in this weather!)
Our family has been affected. Our daughter's mother-in-law was one of 300,000
in San Diego to be evacuated, and her home has probably been consumed by
flames. Our son, a new lieutenant with Animal Control, had just convinced the
bureaucrats above that the department needed stronger emergency planning,
equipment, and communications. Whenever there is a disaster, from fires to
floods to slides, they have to go into the danger areas to rescue pets,
livestock, and wildlife. He had just been given the green light to begin when
these fire started. And while he is involved in the rescues, they fear that
the winds will change direction and sweep down on HIS house! (His mentor, one
of the other lieutenants, will in all likelihood, loose his house in the
idyllic and bohemian Modjeska Canyon.
The only thing that angers me more than the arsonists is the attention given to
the mega-buck residents of Malibu. All the datelines are from "Malibu", all of
the media panders to their beautiful homes at risk or lost. But for years,
they have haughtily refused to follow fire authority recommendations to clear
away the brush, trees, and vegetative landscaping around the million dollar
homes. No, they insist on retaining their ambience and the lush growth that
affords them the privacy they demand. As a consequence, they are hit year
after year with fires, only to rebuild with big insurance or Federal Government
payouts. But they rebuild with the same arrogant disregard of nature, and let
the rest of us pay for their folly. So when you hear of the homes of your
movie star idols being threatened or burned, think instead of the families who
are being burned out, without the insurance or resources to piece together
their lives.
Buster Evans
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