We interrupt our regularly scheduled programming

I meant to have a Book Club discussion posting for Animal, Vegetable, Miracle today, but that will have to wait until Wednesday.

I just had to say something about the fires in Southern California, mostly because I am personally affected by them. My brother's neighborhood had a mandatory evacuation and my father's area was evacuated as it was in the line of one of the fires as it neared the coast. I'm hoping that both homes are spared and that the damage to the surrounding areas will be minimal. But I suspect, given what I've read so far, that this won't be the case.

I can't help but wonder if this is just a taste of things to come as the west becomes more arid due to global warming and where water becomes an even scarcer resource. Regardless of the source of the fires, the dry and sub-optimal conditions compound fire rescue.

From the San Diego Declaration on Climate Change and Fire Management, dated November 2006:

Currently, we are observing wildland fire conditions previously considered rare, such as extreme wildfire events (e.g. high heat release and severe impact to ecosystems), lengthened wildfire seasons, and large-scale wildfires in fire-sensitive ecosystems (e.g. tropical rain forests and arid deserts). Research indicates that climate change has, in part, caused these trends. Therefore, we are deeply concerned that wildfire conditions will only become exacerbated by further climate change.

It really is a frightening thing to consider. And it won't always be just the arid west that will be hit by such events.

So, I wanted to encourage all of you to take a moment to think about how lucky you are to be safe in your homes tonight. I hope that those who are affected have the insurance and ability to have a safe house if their homes are impacted.

And, yes, my family is a train-wreck. And I say that with humor because that's pretty much what I have left.

Update: (2:30 p.m. PST) Thanks to everyone for their caring words. My brother, father and step-brother's homes are okay. I know the fires aren't out yet, but I'm assuming that, with the winds dying down, they'll stay standing.

Photo courtesy of the San Diego Union Tribune