Fire Season in the South West Oregon District

Had an amusing chat with Mom about our dear valley yesterday. Southern Oregon is a very RANDOM place. Sigh. I don't always feel so proud to admit I went to high school there. I won't say I'm from there...but I lived there for 6 years...7th-12th grades.
Even though Dad retired in December, he still gets hired periodically for consultation or contract work. Apparently he was hired this week as a Deputy Incident Commander (something like that). He's currently helping out with a fire near Klamath Falls that involves a very interesting piece of land. This area is generally known for the many lakes and pelicans, but not for much else. Maybe potato farms...and water disputes. Anyway, this week it's known as the wildlife preserve/zoo that happens to be burning. Some lady from California rescues exotic animals from cruel owners and moves to Oregon to live in a huge compound. The 700+ acre fire is threatening this compound...and the lions, tigers, and monkeys have to be evacuated. I guess this summer the animals will lose their compound rather than a group of cult-like hippies hiding from the government.
Last summer there was a home within city limits that burned. (Grants Pass, maybe?) Well, part of the yard was on fire. The fire crossed the fence and became an ODF problem. When firemen went into the yard to confront the owner after the fire, they were astonished to find a full-grown and angry Bengal tiger sitting on the porch. They had previously hosed down the yard from the other side of the fence, scaring the tiger with the power of the water. It took nearly two weeks to serve the owner a citation for the endangerment of public property via the fire. No one wanted to walk past the tiger!
Have you ever heard of a "fire bug"? It's a person that enjoys playing with fire, not an arson necessarily, more like a small-time pyro. Two summers ago a little boy decided he wanted to see what would happen if he set the wings of a large moth on fire. The moth flew away with burning wings and started a large wildfire. Dumb kid. He's now the official Fire Bug.
I often wonder if it's really that hard to pay attention to the fire danger announcements. You'd think that if you lived in an area prone to large wildfires in the summer you'd be more careful about your outdoor activities and the state of your yard, i.e. the safety zone around the house. Not so.
Have fun! Enjoy the peak of fire season! Just remember to be careful and obey the rules. Best of luck to everyone fighting fires this week. Thanks for your hard work!