Let’s not forget landslide season, too. Stay safe.

I just live in the same community (or celebrity enclave, as the media loves to put it). I don’t know them. I figured if their houses burned it would make the news, and their houses were all between ours and the fire. And I’m a shameless name dropper.

As I read this in the paper this morning my first thought was of you two. I hope you are both well and safe and are able to be back in your own home soon.

We’re back. Thanks for the good thoughts.

Oddly enough, Tijuana in Mexico, right across the border from San Diego passes the fire season more or less unscathed. Check next time you see a “fire map” on the internet such as this one: http://www.gearthblog.com/images/images1007/californiafires.jpg. Why? Could it be that Mexican citizens are more careful and don’t start the fires in the first place? Or that the fire department of Tijuana is much better than the ones in California cities like Los Angeles? I doubt.

One thing I know for sure: in Mexico houses are built mostly from brick and mortar; roofs are made from ceramic tiles. Those things don’t burn, no matter what. Meanwhile in the United States houses are built mostly out of wood, cardboard and plastic foam. Even roofs are made of wood that, although supposed to be “fireproof”, burn quite well: you never see a burned down house with the roof tile sitting intact above the remains.

Given the obvious danger of fires, one has to wonder why use such flammable materials. Could it be that the current situation is the ideal one, from the point of view of the housing industry? See, everyone has to buy fire insurance and the insurance companies are quite happy, even if they have so pay some policies from time to time – if they didn’t, nobody would buy the fire insurance in the first place. The burned down houses have to be rebuilt by the same building companies that made the inflammable things to begin with. So the building industry actually profit from the situation.

Obviously the personal costs for the affected individuals are high. Those same individuals also have to pay not only the insurance but also the public services like fireman and police that help them in the emergency, plus the disruption and loss of productivity. But AFAIK, the construction industry has good lobbies but the affected persons do not. So the situation persists and the “fire industry” prospers.

Obviously any solution has to be a collective one, like changing building codes. It doesn’t really cut it if I build a more expensive, really fireproof house, that sit next to piles and piles of fuel (a.k.a. other houses). My insurance premium and disruption would be the same, even without having my stuff burned to the ground.

The fire is under control up here – now we’ve got to drive through the one down there to get to a function tonight.

Hey Estabano!

UM

Pass along our thanks. We escaped unscathed.