[Aerkuld]

I have a lot of sympathy for the people affected by the fires, but to be honest I don't think it is a suprise to anyone. I lived down near the El Toro marine base a few years back and was always aware that we were sitting on a powder keg. In my mind it wasn't so much IF, as WHEN. Homes have been built in, or right up next to canyons and other wild areas packed full of combustible material that hasn't been cleared out for years. All it needed was a small fire to start and the wind to be blowing in the right direction and the whole lot would be toast.
As much as I apprecite Tabs' alternative sense of humor the real reason behind this must surely be a mixture of bad planning and bad luck.