Cedar Fire

I had heard of wildfires

and seen glimpses here and there,

but never quite imagined,

the magnitude of loss,

until I went hiking

to a region,

unaware of its history.

Two decades back,

a lost hunter started a signal fire,

and fanned by the gusty, dry

Santa Ana winds,

it spread viciously,

burning thousands of square kilometers.

An entire state park was engulfed.

Countless plants, wildlife,

even people and structures,

a museum with historical artifacts,

all consumed by the blaze.

As I hiked in somber thoughts,

I saw thousands of snags—

as if blaming me:

“Your species did this.”

Can we not be,

more respectful and vigilant,

of the environment?

Or we die as sinners,

for causing innocuous life loss.

Note: The Cedar Fire of San Diego County, California, burned for two weeks in autumn 2003 and consumed a total of 280,278 acres. Imagine the scale of devastation!

It’s so unfortunate that wildfires are becoming more vicious each year. Rain is erratic, dry biomass is turning into tinderboxes, and human structures are built in wilderness areas.