California Fires

 I’ve lived in Southern California almost my entire life.  It wasn’t until the 1970’s that I experienced the horror of the wild fires that come with living in this great state.  When I was 13, our family moved out of the city to a magical place  at the foothills of the Angeles National Forest.  We moved to Lake View Terrace, a suburb off what is now the 210 freeway at the east end of the San Fernando Valley.  This week, Lake View Terrace was in the news  again because of the fire threat. 

Just a few steps from our back door was the wild hillside that separated civilization from the forest.  Before the fire, I thought the greatest danger was the occasional rattlesnake that came down into the yard.  I learned to embrace bugs other small creatures.  I loved living outside the city and in the countryside.  There were no buses; I walked everywhere.  Outside there was only nature and animals for entertainment.  I spent my first summer with my friend cleaning horse stables so that she could board her horse.  Riding afterwards was our reward.   I didn’t have a horse and riding horses that summer wasn’t much of a reward in my estimation.  It took me an entire summer to really figure that out.  I did enjoy hiking, though and going to Hansen Dam with friends was a real treat.  There were many hiking trails and that was one of my favorite past times.  I learned the hard way though that hikers have to pay attention.  On afternoon,  my horse friend and I actually got lost in the Angeles National Forest when we got so engrossed in conversation that we forgot which way was home. We eventually followed the sun and made it home at sunset.  I camped in the Angeles National Forest with a friend when I was sixteen and learned that it was a favorite place for drug users as well.

There was never any thought to how the hills and forest I had grown to know and love could ever pose a danger until the night we were awakened by a bull horn and a voice yelling that we had 5 minutes to evacuate.  My bedroom was at the back of the house and I woke to a bedroom that was bathed in a strange red glow.  In my pajamas, I ran down the stairs and out the front door where my mother and brothers were already busy loading the car some belongings.  I demanded to know what was going on.  My mother simply said, “Turn around”.  I turned around and saw the hillside behind our house ablaze and I actually dropped to my knees in shock.  My mother very calmly said, “We have to leave, now.”

The firemen saved us and our entire street that night and I will forever be grateful to these brave firemen who risk their lives to help those who choose to live so close to nature.

I never again hiked or camped in the Angeles National Forest. I’ve hiked and camped elsewhere, but not there.  Maybe I subconsciously felt betrayed in some way.  Over the years, the number and intensity of wildfires in Southern California have increased.  As a person with asthma, I have air purifiers for my home and a supply of air masks handy.  Even though I’ve been careful to avoid purchasing a home that is too close to forest, the smoke and ash from these fires is unavoidable.

Scientists tell us that climate change is causing more draught and I just heard today that we can expect even more fires in our future.  The fire season went from being just a few months a year to being a problem year-long.  Eventually Southern California might become too difficult a place for me to live because I have to breathe.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the many people who have lost their homes to the most recent fires.   I empathize with the trauma of those who had to evacuate.  And I feel great gratitude to the firemen who continue to defend us from wildfires.  We have to do our part to stop climate change by first listening to the scientist and demanding more from our policymakers.