My Life in the Fire Zone
Fueling wildfire anxiety and the impact of climate change
It’s summer in Los Angeles, and it’s hot. I live at the mouth of a fire zone, also known as the Santa Monica Mountains. Already, there have been around 3,737 wildfires, with 221,540 acres burned across the state.
According to California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection |this is notably higher than the five-year average for this time of year.
For someone like me, wedged between the Pacific Ocean and the mountains, watching the Super Scooper fly down to scoop up thousands of gallons of water and then fly back overhead is a weird blend of awe and anxiety — anxiety because we didn’t renew our wildfire insurance policy because it cost $2,800 a year.
Instead, we opted to remove all the brush around our home for $208, as dry vegetation heightens the risk of rapid-fire growth, particularly when wind and topography are involved.
No moisture means our grass is puke brown, the vegetation around is tinder, tree branches are skeletal, leaves…
