About a year ago, I wrote a post describing what it was like to celebrate Labor Day in a small town on the Eastern side of the country. I lamented the loss of the days of my childhood, and the fun of growing up in a small town. I mentioned in that writing on how I now live in the Los Angeles area, and just how different the two areas were – I stated that two places could not be farther apart on the spectrum. This weekend taught me just how wrong I was, and that community – no matter it be a small town or part of a big city – is what matters. This weekend, we saw our community in action. I learned that it is no different from my little town of so many years ago.
Unless you were totally separated from all news sources, most of the country heard about the fire that broke out in the mountains just over the ridge from our area. What started out as a small brush fire on Friday expanded quickly and spread throughout the mountain area. We canceled our plans for the weekend to keep an eye on what was happening – my wife’s idea, and thankfully she made me see the light about not going away.
All Friday night into Saturday morning, the sounds of helicopters flying between the fire and their water area could be heard. Our one cat sat vigilantly all night watching the activity. I awoke to the sounds and stepped out in time to see two super-scoopers take a run at the fire that was somewhere down range from us. While we could not see the flames, we could see the tower of smoke so we knew it was close, but we were not in any danger. What we could start to see at that point was the community coming to life. Neighbor started checking on neighbor. Social media saw posting after posting with updates, offers to help with evacuations, calls for donations, and responses from donation centers. You could feel the sense of care for one another.
The fire grew throughout the day. We sat with our elderly neighbor on his f
ront porch (he refused to go inside). More and more helicopters flew. Fire sirens could be heard on the main roads as trucks moved from one position to another. Police cars were driving through the neighborhoods just keeping watch. More of the community stepped up to offer food and water to those fighting the fire. Shelters were taking in people and animals as evacuation orders started taking effect. We heard that the fire had gone in a second direction and was moving down the mountains into the neighboring cities. Their community was stepping up as well.
Then it came. Around 4:10, our neighbor sounded the alarm for us to come out. We walked to the street to see two sets of fire going, not very large at that point. Within 10 minutes, the two joined and the whole range next to use was ablaze. We stood in amazement, watching just how quickly things had turned in our area. While we knew our homes were safe, the ones a block up for us were in eminent danger. Truck after truck came up the street – soon they stopped in front of our home due to lack of room at the top. They were there in force and were ready for battle. 30 minutes from the knock, we had police cars rolling through 
calling out that this was now a mandatory evacuation zone. Once again, people were checking to ensure that others were safe and able to leave. Some grabbed hoses and started hitting the roof of a person’s home who was out of town. Just a little extra precaution.
Our portion of the weekend’s events was short lived. The brush up there was so dry that it burned quickly and just as suddenly as it started, the main part was done. It did take a while to get smaller bursts put out, but within an hour, I stood on my neighbor’s porch and we were under blue skies. That did change for a short time as the winds did a 180 on us, but even then the sense of danger was minimal.
It is Monday as I write, three full days since the fire broke out. We still hear the helicopters every so often as they go after spots that are still burning. The Fire Chief stated that there is “no active fire.” The evacuation centers are closed. Trucks are being sent back to their home cities. A large group of men and women are up in the hills with chainsaws cutting through the burnt trees. Four homes were lost and six people were injured. The fact that those numbers are so low speaks volumes about the men and women who fought the fire and the community. So many did what they were supposed to do when it comes to brush clearances.
So how does this compare to last year’s post and talking about the small community that I called home so long ago?
In my original posting, I talked about how people took care of one another. I spoke about how we watched out for one another and would help each other. I wrote how one felt safe in that community. This weekend, I learned that those feelings could be felt inside of a big city like Los Angeles. Sunland-Tujunga is a community within the city. I often joke about how our little street feels like a little Mayberry and not like a city of millions.
I was part of a community that stepped up this weekend. A call went out for help from the citizens to donate water, food, and such to the departments and centers. I noticed so many postings from those organizations asking people to stop. They had too many donations. Videos popped up showing the amount of goods that had been dropped off. This morning I drove to the trucks still parked in our area asking what they needed from coffee to food. They politely declined stating that they had more than they could use. They then thanked us. No, the thank yous all go to them.
It do
es not matter the make-up of the community. Skin color, religious beliefs, political views – differing viewpoints make up the community. I am sure within a few days; we will see political postings come back. I get it. That too makes up a community. I can deal with that knowing that I live in a community that knows when to put all that aside and work together for the good of the community.
Small town – big city – it does not matter as long as we are a community.