California: No End to Disaster

Down over the hills ringing Los Angeles swept the parching devil winds. Humidity dropped below 1% ; it was drier than a desert. The brilliant colors of sumac, greasewood and wild lilac had long faded to dusty brown, and the chaparral crackled and clacked like desiccated bones in a bowl. Then, just before dawn one day last week, the nightmare that Angelenos have well learned to dread happened again. The brush in the hills, ignited by power lines torn to the ground by whistling winds, exploded into flame. With incredible speed, fire...

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