We just received news that the beautiful town of Valparaiso is burning again. There was another devastating fire just a few years ago, plus an earthquake. There seems to be a conspiracy of nature against the town, made worse by houses with cardboard siding, perched on termite-infested wooden 4 by 4s stretching up 20 feet or more from very precarious foundations. The wind from the ocean rushing up the arroyos, feeding the flames as they jump from hill to hill. A house of cards burning.
Not only do the steep, narrow roads that zig and zag up the hills like drunken sailors preclude the easy access by fire equipment, but the town’s fire department is made up almost entirely of volunteers. When a fire breaks out, the firemen rush out of their houses waving their boots. Any passing motorist is legally required to pick up the firefighter and taken him wherever he needs to go.
