glenn, I started reading that as if it was your personal story and started to get fired-up with all kinds of questions popping up in my mind 
.
Perhaps better to put the link near the top?
When the western USA fires are over, a seemless take-over by eastern Australia fires is on the boards. Imagine living there and knowing that it will be coming again and again and with an ever increasing likelyhood of more extreme fires and new phenomena. Until the trees are all dead and burned up. The damage of all the GHG released will only temporarily be offset by the released aerosols imo.
I live in Eastern Australia.
And it is a situation where the fire season starts and ends earlier every year.
It also involves, on average, bigger and harder to control fires that keep burning more and more. Last summer was the worst ever and it was the worst ever not all that many years ago.
Thankfully, this year might be a normal year (whatever that means).
BUT.... the worst part of it all is the Govt ignoring climate change. They keep talking about better funding for the fire services but it isn't enough.
Last year they ignored ex fire cheifs and scientists who predicted and told them that the coming summer had strong potential to be the worst ever.... and the Govt wouldn't even have a meeting with them.
Volunteer fire fighters are giving up because it takes up too much time with no income and no true support from the Govt. And as volunteer fire fighters reduce in numbers, there is a refusal to bring in more professionals to do the job.
It makes me sick just thinking about it.
This year we have had plenty of rain, which would normally be a good thing, but here, it means heaps fo grass growth and vegetation will grow, even in the fire affected areas from last summer. The problem is it all dries out and provides fuel for the fires.
Those burnt out areas that people say wont burn again this year are wrong..... those regions will have grass growing like crazy and grass burns fast and moves faster than bush fires.
There is no good news here... it is just going to keep getting worse with no reason to see any improvement in the near future.
And I look at California and from what I see there, they are not exactly taking the right action either.
I keep thinking that at some point the public will demand action.... but I think what is happening it the public are used to the events and live with it until their town or, eventually, parts of cities begin to burn down.... maybe then something will happen.
