>>Very true. And, just how fierce those Santa Ana winds can be.<<
Exactly. My husband and I live in the Mira Mesa area of San Diego (just North of Miramar Air Station). Yesterday we went for a drive up to Julian, and were sitting at lunch when the first of the fire trucks went by down to Ramona. We saw the beginning of the Witch Fire on the way home.
What I don’t think people who live in places that actually have green plants understand, is that fire is part of the ecosystem here, and on a day like yesterday, you don’t have to be worried about terrorists or illegals, all it takes is a piece of glass in the sunlight and half the city will catch fire. We had winds gusting up to 60mph last night, according to the Weather Channel. That will push a fire a long way.
It really doesn’t help that homeowners who DO try to clear the brush on their properties are often stymied by environutjobs who want to preserve San Diego’s “native brushlands.”
Of course, those are the same native brushlands that really want to burn down every three years or so.