The Station fire: heat and light

‘Playground of L.A.’ lies in ashy ruin,” Sept. 6, and “Crews fight fire above Monrovia,” Sept. 7, and “Heaven or hell, it’s all L.A.” Opinion, Sept. 7

L.A. is rightly mourning the deaths and destruction caused by the Station fire. But why is there little debate about how to prevent a repeat?

Wildfires are an annual blight here. Many are man-made and therefore preventable, yet the prevailing attitude seems to be to pretend they are acts of nature that we simply have to put up with. We don’t.

Prevention will inevitably involve some restriction on personal freedom to roam the forest areas with combustible materials. That is why we need a serious debate: How much freedom, if any, are we willing to cede in return for making forests safer?

Bill Kay

Pasadena

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I was shocked when I saw the way Gregory Rodriguez wrote insensitively about the California fires in his Op-Ed article.

Last I heard, the fires had burned over 150,000 acres and forced the evacuation of thousands of people from not only their homes but their lives. When a crisis such as this arises, men and women will react in two ways: take heed, or make light of the crisis.

It is one thing when the public makes light, but it becomes a problem when it is published in a distinguished source such as The Times. We need to see positive articles, stories of families celebrating that their homes were saved or of the success of our brilliant LAFD.

Eric John Marquez

Northridge

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The articles about the devastation of the Angeles National Forest made me think about what I might do to make a difference.

Well, I want to plant a tree. Just tell me what type of tree and where to plant it. It’s my forest too. In the article, it was noted that “the forest is visited by 3 million to 5 million people every year.” Can you imagine if every one of those people also planted a tree. Anyone interested?

Fran Potaski

North Hills