California Fire Season

Southern California has four seasons: earthquake, floods and landslides, riots and fires. My second son was born in November of 1980. When he was four days old I found myself without electricity, howling winds, fire in the local hills and two babies under 18 months. We had just moved to a new neighborhood and did not know any of our neighbors. As I huddled with my two babies in a house with no heat a neighbor invited me to sit in her kitchen where she had a gas stove so we were able to cook a simple meal. Today I was cleaning up the yard and the same neighbor was out raking up the leaves and branches that had fallen in the recent wind storm. We talked about how fortunate we were to be unaffected by the fires (other than the smoke filled air). I looked towards the Angeles Crest Mountains to the North of my community and said a little thank you that we had been spared a major catastrophe.