A Mighty Wind

For those who grew up east of the Rockies, Southern California's often long summers can be a real drag upon one's psyche. Especially in the inland areas that are away from the coast, temperatures into the nineties can hang on well into October. Whereas a week or two after Labor Day, the season changes dramatically in the northern and eastern climes, the scent of autumn does not truly appear until Halloween hits.

With the late autumn comes clearer skies that finally allow inland residents an opportunity to gaze at the magnificent mountains that ring the area but are virtually invisible during the hotter months. But just as one is ready to go outdoors for a hike or a job or a stroll, the mighty Santa Ana winds roar their ugly head bringing with them renewed warmth and the inevitable canyon fires.

As this is being written, the winds have finally subsided but as has been witnessed by the entire nation, many areas of the "Southland" have been devastated by the annual conflagrations. Hundreds of homes have been destroyed by the roaring flames. The fire is an equal opportunity engine in that it hits both million dollar homes as well as entire mobile home parks.

The sad thing is that so much could be avoided if the loose housing restrictions were tightened. Almost always the destruction occurs in the fringe areas; the places where suburbia ends and nature starts. Due to the infinite freeways and a car culture that takes advantage of them, Californians love to live in those semi-rural spots that are still within a decent commuting time of their jobs. This desire for a piece of natural living within a sprawling megaplex feeds the horrors of the yearly burns.

Nature will always take its course. Fires are a natural part of the rhythms of life there. Innocent residents are caught in a world that they should never be allowed to be a part of. Their personal losses are tragic but wholly avoidable. There is so much within the urban and suburban core that can be built upon, that one must wonder how builders and city planners can sleep at night knowing that the homes they sold and allowed to be built were knowingly put in areas that are always in danger of fire and the fierceness of those Santa Anas that sweep down upon lonely mountain passes that should never have large populations.