Upon returning home from the GEWEX meeting in Australia, I was frightened to see flames on the mountains near my home. The wild fire started on Wednesday, August 26 and have burned more than 15,000 acres already. The temperature was triple-digit high and the humidity was less than 10%. The bushes in the Angeles Crest Forest have not burned in about 60 years, so the fire just kept spreading with so much fuel. The sky is filled with dense smoky clouds and the air smells terrible. White ashes accumulate on our cars, roofs and lawns. Some of my friends were evacuated. No one that I know was hurt. I have never seen a fire so close and it was quite terrifying. JPL was closed for one day and my kids' schools (La Canada Unified School District) were closed for two days. This fire event is relatively early in the season compared to previous years and it was fortunate not coincident with dry and hot Santa Ana winds this time. We don't know if there will be more fires breaking out this fall. There have been predictions that an El Nino is on its way. Would that bring us more rain? I hope a peaceful fall will come.