On (not) burning down
Although seemingly all of Southern California is burning down, no, my family and I are not personally in any danger. We’re in the heart of the San Fernando Valley, and the fires in Los Angeles County are mostly along the coast, or north of us beyond the valley. I post this by way of response to the people who have called and emailed with concerns.
What we are experiencing, and will continue to experience, is the fallout — for everyone who has lost or will lose their homes. More than half a million people in this state have fled their homes. Where will they all go?
Monday night coming home from USC, which is downtown, I had the top down on my convertible, as I do most nights. The air had the smell of a clogged chimney, and the night sky glowed a faint orange. Tonight, driving toward downtown again but earlier in the evening, the sunset was apocalyptic, a thick stew of smoke and pollution and ash with a tinge of red and yellow. Traffic was light as it has been much of the week in the downtown to valley corridor; people busily fleeing fires are off these roads.
A couple of years ago the hills that surround this particular city did catch fire; they burned for days. It was remarkable to drive to appointments and to attend events and check in occasionally with the status of the fires above and ahead: Yep, still burning. I remember visiting the Taste of Downtown Burbank outdoor food festival and hundreds of us standing around eating while sprinkles of ash gently drifted from the sky and onto us. No matter where you were in the city, you could see and taste the fires.
This time, they are farther removed. But they will be with us for a long, long time.