Fires in California

[mrbob]

I can't find another thread on these so apologies if I have missed it.

There have been 2 huge (and several less huge) fires over the last few days in California which are still very much active and have destroyed >200,000 acres between them with at least 30 dead and likely a whole lot more. Whole towns have been wiped off the map. Areas of Malibu are destroyed.

I keep trying to not read about them because they are so distressing but I find it really difficult (possibly worse because we are just entering fire season where I live and I am mildly anxious about that)

I just keep thinking how utterly terrifying it must be for people and how awful it would be to be caught up in it all

It's terrifying
I'm on several horse FB pages and they have reported that they have had to let their gorgeous , well loved , looked after , horses loose as that's their best hope to save them
Heart breaking

It is terrifying, we had annual grass/forest/house fires due to the dry desert winds when we lived rurally in California. People are still missing, and chances are many will be found dead, along with their animals.
My friends son is a firefighter there and has been to many fires like this, maybe less homes and land going up, but this one is exceptionally brutal in Paradise and having Malibu in the south being so high profile has put in in the international news.

Trump is blaming the fires on poor forestry management.
To the point of not giving government aid.
What does he mean?
I am confused by this.

I've just been watching the news, it's awful. As for Trump's threat about reducing their funding, he is an enormous nob blaming it on forest management.

Every time I see things like this happening, I am reminded of the Black Saturday bushfires here in Aus. Almost a decade on and it still scares the shit out of me to think about. And with half the country in a drought stricken state, I am scared for what summer has in store for us this year.

Hopefully they get the assistance they need and can get the fires under control.

I've got a friend who lives in LA, he's safe but a lot of his friends have lost everything. So sad.

It looks truly horrific. It just shows that we think we have so much control over our lives and yet a natural disaster proves our fragile we really are.

How fragile.

It's devastating. My heart goes out to all those affected & wishes safety to all the firefighters & first responders