Those Pretty, Bright Orange Flames
Most kids are intrigued by fire. Admonitions from my mom like, “Don’t get too close!” only made me want to get closer.
As a kid, I’d be enthralled watching dad masterfully stack logs into the fireplace. “Always make sure the flue is open,” he’d say. I had absolutely no idea what a flue was, but I assumed it had something to do with birds flying down our chimney.
He’d take a long matchstick and light the 3 or 4 crinkled up newspaper balls spread underneath the logs, and we’d watch as the fireplace would become aglow with flames.
Those pretty, bright orange flames. The warmth that emanated from the hearth. Stunningly beautiful. And if we were good boys that day Mom would take out a bag of marshmallows so we could each make our own burnt sugar noogies. Mmmmm… Can I please be 7 years old again?
Today, the word fire does not give me that same warm and fuzzy feeling. When I hear someone say fire in Southern California my heart skips a beat. Where is it? How close? Do we still have electricity? Where’s our go bag?
The windswept fires that have consumed Los Angeles over the course of the past 10 days have been devastating. The images you see on TV look like Hollywood special effects. But they’re not. The flames have destroyed some of my favorite restaurants sitting right on the PCH. Homes and businesses of friends and neighbors. Gone. Schools, churches, coffee shops, grocery stores… gone. They are ashes and rubble. All that remains are chimney stacks.
But enough of that. Let’s try to flip this around and find the positives…
Worldwide Effort
Since power, gas, water, and internet were all shut off over a week ago, the only way to access critical fire and evacuation information via the internet was by driving over the Santa Monica Mountains into the San Fernando Valley. As Susan and I evacuated Malibu last week, we watched a miles-long caravan of firetrucks, fire engines, ambulances and other First Responders heading into the town that we were fleeing. And it wasn’t just local fire stations. Susan said she saw fire companies from San Francisco and other NorCal cities.
Over the past few days, we’ve even seen trucks from Oregon, Texas, Colorado, Washington, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada and Utah. We learned that Canada, Mexico, South Africa and even UKRAINE have all sent fire fighters to Los Angeles to help battle the flames spreading across the city. It might be a California fire, but it is being fought by the entire world. THANK YOU for allowing your state’s first responders to travel west to assist in our fight.
The Stud Next Door
We live in a cul-de-sac. The ridiculously heavy winds (up to 100 mph gusts) that created this fire storm blew away both of my next-door neighbors’ carports. Why ours is still standing is beyond me. These gusts of wind are the reason they cut our utilities last week. It is virtually impossible to get evacuation and fire updates if you don’t have any “ears.”
Sitting at one of my favorite coffee shops in the Valley, I was reading my neighborhood news updates when I noticed a post from Chris, my next-door neighbor. Chris is an IT techie. He posted a note to the entire community stating that anyone could drive up and log on to his temporary Wi-Fi oasis in our cul-de-sac. He gave the network name and the password to use. The next day when Sue and I drove back into Malibu to ensure our home was still standing, we saw our cul-de-sac stuffed with cars, golf carts and dog walkers all getting/sending messages and emails to loved ones across the country. Chris is a stud.
Neighbors… Assemble!
Local news stations have captured plenty of stories about neighbors banding together to try and hold back the hungry flames. “My home was already gone, but my neighbor’s home was still in danger. I had to help.” Armed with garden hoses and buckets to scoop pool water some of these mini fire brigades managed to stave off disaster. Uplifting moments in a sea of devastation.Hello Helle Snelligan!
Holy crap! THANK YOU to everyone who has reached out (and continues to reach out) to make sure that Susan and I are okay. You’ve offered homes, clothes, food, generators… and I even heard from Helle Snelligan, my elementary school friend who lives in France. I hadn’t seen or spoken with Helle in 50 years! I’ve heard from so many people that I’ve met over the years, both personal and business. And I’ve heard from many of YOU. Your heartfelt offers of assistance and love continue to pour in from just about everyone I’ve ever met.
It’s Good to Be Harold
To my friends at Classic… You’ve stood by me over the past five years as my life was in chaos with serious health issues, loss of family, COVID and now the LA fires. Your support is a reminder of something that every Classic employee knows and feels daily… Classic is not a business. It is a family.
Back to where we started… Once the marshmallows were eaten and the flames from our family’s indoor campfire had died out it was my responsibility to clean out the ashes in the fireplace. I’d sweep them into a paper bag and toss them in the trash can. Easy Peasy. The clean-up after this fire won’t be as simple. But we will clean up.
Thanx for all your support. All of you. It’s good to be Harold.
Please help people affected by the 2025 California Wildfires by visiting redcross.org, calling 1-800-RED CROSS (800-733-2767) or texting the word CAWILDFIRES to 90999 to make a donation.
–Harold Mintz (harold@classicexhibits.com)