Readers React: Idyllwild exists because of brave and skilled firefighters. They deserve our thanks

To the editor: We’ve had a family house in Idyllwild since the 1970s. It was my parent’s second home and is now a vacation house for our extended family. We’ve left it largely as my parents had it, sweetly reminding us of them.

As I watched the Cranston fire progress last week, I feared we would lose this family heirloom. I know this is a “First World problem,” and I would never compare the loss of a vacation cabin to leaving your country amid war or famine, but even with that awareness, it hurt to know that the place might burn to the ground.

Thanks to the heroism and truly surgical skills of firefighters from all around Southern California, our house was saved, though the flames came within feet of our front door. To any firefighter who was part of the effort to save Idyllwild and the homes we love and cherish, we stand in gratitude and awe of your skills and bravery. Thank you.

Dan Radlauer, Los Angeles

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To the editor: The scorched apricot tree in my backyard reminds me of our 118-degree heat a few weeks back. A fire near Idyllwild, now largely under control, sends smoke over the Inland Empire, while more than a dozen fires rage across California.

Climate change is real. If we want to return to a time when our climate was more predictable, we have to invest even more in renewable energy.

Senate Bill 100 calls for California’s power grid to draw only from renewable energy sources by 2045. We know this is possible because the state energy grid is already 30% renewable and rising.

California is blessed with sun, wind, water and waves, and we have the innovation and technology to make use of these natural resources for our energy at a competitive price. We have led the way on green energy while our economy has continued to thrive.

Extreme weather, food shortages and human misery await us if we do not move to a 100% green energy future.

Kris Lovekin, Riverside

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