Bikermouse, In small doses, it is a natural occurance. We need some wildfire to keep undergrowth down and also to germinate Jackpines and other trees. However, we don't need arson or man-made fire. When people build up in those valleys and then park their trucks on dry grass (I chewed THOSE kids out but good!), or play with fireworks, or just throw out those dad-burned cigarettes on the roadsides, the whole hillside can go up. And if the wind is right? ::shudder:: I still remember the loss of the Stanislaus. That October we had the most incredible lunar eclipse I've ever seen. Tuolumne Meadows about 1 AM, IIRC. A shield of blood red before it vanished... but the blood was the ash of millions of trees. There is no emoticon for that loss. Let's hope that some of this cool damp air goes towards the Sierras. It almost looked like rain, but you need it more over there. Carolly