I just wanted to take a minute and express my condolences to all those who lost their homes in the Montecito, Sylmar, and Corona fires. I can only imagine what it would feel like to return home to find nothing but the charred remnants of my prized possessions. It’s one thing to experience such the loss as an individual, but as a family? Man…
Aside from California’s notorious earthquakes, Southern California practically experiences these types of fires on an annual basis…they call it “fire season”. The combination of dry heat, dehydrated vegatation, and the Santa Ana winds (which can reach hurricane strength) make for a fiery concoction. And if you haven’t noticed, we didn’t see much rain these past two years.
Here’s a little interesting something from an LA times article:
“Through last week, 1.24 million acres [had] burned in California, the most since 1970, when consistent, modern records were first kept. Yet in a rare turnabout, most of that land didn’t burn in Southern California during autumn, a common pattern for the state. Even counting this weekend’s fires in Montecito and Sylmar, nine out of 10 acres that have burned this year were in Northern California, from Monterey County to the Oregon border, and most burned early in the season, thanks to a freakish dry lightning storm. Given the lack of rain over the past two winters, things could have turned out much worse, experts say.”
Here’s another exerpt from a NY Times article:
“But by Saturday evening resources were being stretched thin as blazes sprouted from the tall dry brush throughout Southern California. In addition to the three major fires, firefighters also dispatched ground crews and aircraft to a 10-acre fire in Rancho Palos Verdes and a smaller fire in the Brea area, both in Los Angeles County. There was also a small blaze near Escondido, about 30 miles northeast of San Diego, and another fire across the border in Mexico, according to state authorities.”
A moment of Peace, “BK”