By Richard Neve
Fire, City and Demographics
Wild fires are seasonal phenomena here in California. From October through April "Santa Ana" winds blow hot dry air westward from the interior towards the more populated coastal regions. These types of fires “burn fast and dangerous,” spreading almost as fast as the wind blows. Climate change is causing these fires to be more intense, more destructive. The winter fire season is beginning to merge with the summer fire season.
Here in Ventura County we know that it is only a matter of time before a wildfire will threaten one or more of our towns. Most city’s boundaries sit in "wildland-urban-interfaces" areas. These are zones where communities and urban sprawl are directly adjacent to wildland areas that are at increased risk of wildfires. While we know the dry, chaparral areas around our towns will eventually be engulfed in flames, we were not prepared to see the flames of the largest wildfire in California history, the “Thomas” fire, from our living rooms.
