Daniella, from the street you said and if you live in the city of Ventura - you are "over the hill" from the valley and on the way to Santa Barbara? Your weather is a bit cooler then here and air probably cleaner - but its nice up there.....

On the pets - the wild animals are on their own - you see them charging out of the hills... most shelters open for emergency/free boarding for those who have to evacuate - which is really nice of them.... even large animals, horses, etc... usually they set up areas, even school football fields, etc. to accomodate.....

On the fires themselves - I bascially grew up here - we have bad ones really every few years - and LA/San DIego is really all built in the hills - but as they continue to buid into the wilderness areas - more and more people are affected - and it gets so massive like now that they just cant keep up..... I loved the canyon I grew up in - quiet - private - beautiful - and if we had burned we would have rebuilt in the same place - but its a risk we take.. and again, so many new developments that its really one big massive city now for hundreds of miles - much of that hills covered with "chaperal" - which is mainstay of our vegetation, and unfortunatey a natural part of its regrowth is fire....

Dont say earthquake!