It's Fire Season!

If you grow up in Los Angeles, one of the seasons you get to experience is the "Fire Season." Yesterday fire broke out in the Griffith Park area of Los Angeles. Out of season! Normally at this time we are quietly awaiting the hot summer that inevitably will come and then after that, September and October, typically two of the driest, hottest months in Los Angeles. But this year is different. Because we have had almost no rainfall, the area is dry as the proverbial bone. or tinder dry as the weather guys like to say. And so "Fire Season" has come early, with a vengeance. As I flipped through the channels last night, there was a lot of national coverage of the fire. What they failed to explain is just how central Griffith Park is in Los Angeles. It is in the heart of the city. Our freeways surround it and if you've ever been to the zoo in LA, you've been there. Most of us growing up in this area have fond memories of days and evenings at the LA Zoo, Griffith Observatory, Train Town, The Greek Theater, and the historic Merry Go Round, all located in Griffith Park. I have driven through fires in California, Utah, Colorado, and even Mexico. There is just no way to explain the fear that comes from a wildfire, but maybe these pictures can help give you an idea. One thing is certain. The men and women who fight these fires are truly heroes! (for a great set of pictures, taken by LA residents, check out the LA Times web site.)