I lived in L.A. for many years until 2006 and Sue grew up there. The current batch of fires are among the worst ever.
The Sayre fire has destroyed 500 homes in a mobile home park.
City Councilman Richard Alarcon, who represents the area, was at the wall, talking to constituents. He shook his head. “I never had a fire chief come up to me and apologize with tears in his eyes before. He said, ‘We stayed as long as we could. We did everything we could.'”
We have friends whose home is in the burn area of the Montecito fire. Yikes. No word from them yet. Here’s hoping… Fires like these can move so fast you can’t outrun them and sometimes can’t even outdrive them. The canyons can be covered with tinder dry vegetation growing above your head. So, you can imagine what happens when they catch fire. Eucalyptus trees, prized by homeowners for the gentle rustling sound they make and the nice smell, are extremely flammable. Firefighters call them ‘standing matches.”