Fire starter

As the devastating fires that struck Southern California last week remind us, the state has long been vulnerable to horrific late-season fires. The combination of dry conditions, plentiful fuel and nasty winds has posed a threat for as long as people have lived here. Indeed, we’ve had our share of terrible fires in the nearby foothills and forests.

You’d think people would realize that living out in the middle of large amounts of combustible material is dangerous, but local agencies keep approving projects, developers keep building them and folks keep buying them.

As 60 Minutes reported last week, the number of mega-fires in the American West has increased dramatically in recent years. Seven of the 10 worst fire seasons in history have occurred since 1999.

Perhaps all this will inspire more people to start making wiser choices about where to build and live.