South California native experiences wildfires

I've lived in South California my whole life.

Funny enough, at a recent dinner, we asked each other where everybody was from. I was the only one who said he was from LA. Somehow, they were shocked to find someone who was born in LA!

Socal is an amazing place. Great weather, great restaurants and great industries ... such as Hollywood. We are blessed. So I'm not surprised that millions of people have come here.

However, there are always the threats of earthquakes and fires. I've experienced my share, but in the case of the recent fires, I've never seen anything quite like it. Just the other day, I could see the flames raging -- next to my home!

It seemed that every couple of hours, the fire was somewhere new. For the first time in my life, I was preparing to evacuate. It certainly concentrates the mind.

What's amazing, though, is how few people have been hurt. For the most part, people are listening to the authorities and it also looks like we've learned some important lessons from prior fires. It appears to be in stark contrast to other strategies in other disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.

I'm not sure what to think of everything so far (it's hard when it is still going on), but it is inspiring to see how everyone has helped out -- taking in animals, setting up helpful websites. It's incredible.

Most importantly, though, the firefighters are to be commended. I know some of them -- and they are top-notch.