California's Mendacino Complex fire

[Hekate]

4. Fuel it is: a year ago we moved to the foothills & escaped the Thomas Fire by the skin of our teeth

Given that our little valley was completely blackened around our street, it's hard to imagine how, except sheer luck and water-dropping helicopters. Flames came so close that a lot of landscaping in people's back yards (i.e. backing on the hillsides) was lost, and the 200 year old oak tree just off our back patio has an enduring burn scar facing the house. The outdoor lighting system installed by the prior owners melted. Our neighborhood was so lucky.

So, I think about fuel load a lot. Californians all do. I have my fingers crossed that we get to live out our lives in this lovely spot (we are 71) -- that what was going to burn has already burned, and that it will hold steady for the next 2 or 3 decades as is normal.

But it will get worse for California. I just keep thinking about the pine bark beetles infesting the dead and dying pine trees in the SoCal forests. Only fire is going to clear that out.