A Morning Filled with Flames

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In strange contrast to the smoking ruins around it, at least one building stood intact. Reason: its roof was constructed of fire-retardant composition materials. Said Los Angeles Assistant Fire Chief Don Anthony: "If sparks coming from [the first burning] tree had landed on a noncombustible roof, you may not have had the fire in the first place." Hoping to prevent disasters like the Anaheim inferno, Governor Brown last week proposed tough statewide restrictions on the use of highly combustible roofing materials in fire-hazard areas. Anaheim already has such regulations, but only for its hilly outskirts, where catastrophic brushfires whipped by the powerful Santa Ana winds are a constant threat during the May-to-October dry season. Last week's lesson was that in Southern California, fire knows no season.