Blue Blazes! Southern California Is Burning!

Blue blazes, Southern California is on fire! It burns my heart to think that thousands of acres of forests are going up in cinders. It’s spread from covering an area of 20,00 to nearly 150,000 acres of wilderness since August 29.

Historical data shows, since 1966, the majority of the top 20 fires in California were caused by lightning (7), humans (5), and power lines (3). The most devastating was the Cedar Fire in San Diego County in October 2003 when 273,246 acres were burned. To date, the current fires rank 11 on the list.

While the Cedar Fire took 15 lives, the greatest toll was in the 1991 Oakland Hills Firestorm, also called the Tunnel Fire, in Northern California when 1,600 acres burned, claiming 25 lives, 2,843 homes and 443 apartments.

Of the recently named fires, the Morris, Cottonwood Hemet and Palos Verdes Peninsular blazes have been contained. The ongoing Station Fire, approaching LA, has destroyed over 53 homes and taken the lives of two people, both firefighters.

As the Station Fire rages ever closer toward the northern suburbs of LA, it’s of personal concern. From 1982-1989 I lived in Santa Monica on the poor side of Wilshire Boulevard in a rent-controlled apartment on 16th Street. A mile-long path of sidewalks led to the beaches on Santa Monica Bay, including the entertaining characters along the Venice Beach boardwalk. Standing on my tip-toes on the balcony, on a clear day I might see a tiny patch of blue water but, unless the Santa Ana winds swept through the area, a huge brown ball of smog hung over the water.

The smog was bad throughout the LA basin. This, the high cost of living, traffic congestion and the occasional earthquake would eventually find me commandeering a U-Haul along the full length of I-10 from the Pacific to the Atlantic.

But while I lived in Southern California my times with nature overwhelmed my senses beyond what I could have imagined. Although travel time to escape the negatives of living in LA proper was in excess of an hour, the rewards were many.

One of the locations I frequently visited was Griffith Park, the location of the Mount Wilson Observatory. It was one of the must-see-and-do experiences to share with out-of-state visitors. The towering pine trees provided a solid canopy of shade while the aroma, mixed with clean, fresh air soothed the mind and cleared the nasal passages.

It brings back vivid memories of walking along an open path of solid rock and hardened earth in a rather steep incline from the parking area. Friends couldn’t resist the temptation to make souvenirs of the huge pinecones that, along with a bed of needles, blanketed the entire area.

More often than not, a day at Vasquez Rocks County Park got preferential consideration. The rock formations were awesome. Created over millions of years from earthquakes along the San Andreas Fault, they’re easily recognizable in dozens of past and present TV shows, commercials and movies. A no-frills park, it was a paradise for hikers of any experience. You could stroll along a well-traveled path or take a hefty trek to the cave where Tiburcio Vasquez and his band of bandits were holed up in the wild west days of the mid-1800s. A backpack with water and fruit made for the healthiest of all other recreation options. You could actually get lost.

So many other memories. On Avenues I, J and K, in the Antelope Valley, the rolling hills actually came alive with the breathtaking poppy fields. From miles away, the faint tinge of color became an eventual blaze of orange. You had to watch your step, though – don’t step on the coiled rattlers. A zoom lens kept me a safe distance from one such sidewinder. Still, when it sprang up, my heart raced faster than my footsteps!

Fires are also raging through Tujunga Canyon where the Malibu Creek State Park shows a rusted Jeep and mess tent from the set of the MASH TV show. An interesting tidbit but the main attractions were the web of hiking trails.

As fires continue to engulf the Angeles National Forest in the San Gabriel Mountains north of LA, it saddens me to realize so many thousands of acres of wilderness are being destroyed. Homes can be rebuilt. Nature has a way of bringing vegetation back to life. Sadly, the loss of wildlife can’t be avoided.

Human lives can’t be resurrected. It is no less a tragedy when people die in a wildfire than it is for those who succumb to the devastation caused by a hurricane. Few lives have been lost in the fires surrounding Los Angeles. People heeded the calls to evacuate. So should we if the forces of nature threaten the lives of we Floridians.