We Didn't Start The Fire . . .

I am a bit of a pyromaniac, but it wasn't me that started the fire that's raging in Los Angeles right now. This thing is a bit massive. I could see a plume of smoke that was reminscent of a mushroom cloud from my office building today that really astounded me. I took some pictures of it with the camera-phone . . . which is here nor there 'cause I can't upload the pics without a cable that I do not own (I'm not saying to click on my advertising on the page here, but if you do, I get money . . . so put 2 and 2 together and help me get a cable).

So this fire is raging, seemingly uncontrollably. And then I look up a news story which realy makes me raise my eyebrow and think "Oh shit".

A flank of the Topanga fire stormed onto the Rocketdyne facility in Ventura County on Thursday, stoking fears that hazardous and flammable materials would burn and waft into populated areas.

That's from the LA Times. Apparently, if the fires reach this facility, where the government used to do nuclear and chemical research, along with a little rocket testing on the side, Southern California could be screwed. I don't own a gas mask, so this might be a little bit of a bummer for my family and I if noxious gasses start drifting east . . thanks to those lovely off-shore winds.

Jonathan Parfrey of Physicians for Social Responsibility said that despite an ongoing environmental cleanup at the plant, it was inevitable that contaminated soil, chaparral and other plants would burn and "liberate" toxins into the air. He called for air monitoring. "Without a doubt, there's plants and soil and buildings that are still contaminated," Parfrey said. "We're talking 40, 50 years of using some of the most exotic materials in the planet."

Oh great, now that we tampered with mother nature and spilled our nuclear and chemical waste all over the place, it's going to come back and bite us in the ass . . . or esophagus. I think it's time to take a little trip to the U.S. Army surplus store down the street and pick me up some gas masks. Just in case the firemen (who are too busy saving the millionaire homes) don't get around to controlling the fire that is dangerously close to poisoning this whole section of the state.