Part of it may be related to the environmental policies in the state. My wife remembers decades ago her father being able to enter local forest areas and removing dead brush and trees that could be used for kindling and fires. Between those policies and the lack of funds to have state workers perform this type of clearing out, it's just a matter of time before a major fire erupts in the state.
Interesting. LA resident here. And i did not know that.
When I moved to a forested area SW of Colorado Springs 25 years ago, it was heavily covered with brush in addition to the huge ponderosa pines. When some of my neighbors began to urge that we all clear the brush and small trees on our properties, I and others argued no. We loved the wild, natural look. That ended when the Waldo Canyon fire struck in 2012 and the Black Forest fire in 2013. People including me have now been working for years to clear our properties of that extremely dangerous brush. Nothing like a little reality to clear one's mind. Of course, we're conservatives, so we actually respond to reality.