How is it not Armageddon, we mused, staring into the darkened sky. Or the ninth plague. I woke up in the morning wondering about the dark red rays coming from behind the curtain. While I expected the darkened sky, the degree of darkness and the fact that I couldn’t smell fire surprised me. Northern California fires have become increasingly common over the last decade as a consequence of mismanaging the environment. Native Americans staged controlled burns to safeguard their villages and create favorable hunting conditions. We failed to emulate that practice, and, as even Mother Jones concedes, so much fuel...