After 200 years of being close to the edge of a fire inferno, has southern California now finally fallen over it?
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Los Angeles has had a close relationship with extremely destructive wildfires for over two decades, and has been near a tipping point for quite some time. Perhaps now, the city has finally fallen "over the edge", as doiscussed in a recent article in the Telegraph.co.uk.
Read the full story on the UK Telegraph
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The article examines the history of Los Angeles through the lens of its long-standing relationship with fire, framing the recent wildfires as part of a 200-year legacy of destruction and renewal. From the early 19th century, when mariner Richard Henry Dana witnessed vast coastal wildfires, to modern-day catastrophes fueled by the Santa Ana winds, fire has shaped the city’s identity and mythology.
Los Angeles has always teetered on the edge of disaster, with fire emerging as a recurring force of devastation. Malibu, a focal point of the current crisis, has seen an average of two major fires every decade since 1929.
Historical fires, such as the 1930 Decker Canyon Fire, reveal a pattern of immense destruction that overwhelmed even large-scale firefighting efforts.
This fire-prone environment is woven into the city’s cultural fabric, influencing its portrayal in literature and art. Writers like Joan Didion and Mike Davis have chronicled how the impermanence and unpredictability of fire mirror Los Angeles' transient and precarious existence. Didion famously remarked that fire embodies the city’s "deepest image of itself," underscoring its fragility.
The article connects these historical patterns to the present crisis, emphasizing that fire is not just a physical threat but a metaphor for the impermanence and vulnerability of a city built on dreams. While Los Angeles will rebuild as it has in the past, the fires are an inescapable part of its story, destined to return as they have for two centuries.