A Santa Barbara area canyon's residents are among many Californians living in harm's way in fire-prone areas

Sometimes when Ralph Daniel looks out the huge plate-glass windows of his 1959 ranch house, a bobcat stares back at him from the patio. He delights in the quiet, the bird songs, the expansive view of the Santa Ynez Mountains.

By Bettina Boxall, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

July 31, 2008