Living in fire’s embrace

Ralph Daniel likes living on the fringes of Mission Canyon just outside Santa Barbara, where limited exit routes heighten the fire danger.  (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Aircraft attack a wildfire in Malibu in October that charred more than 4,500 acres and destroyed 22 structures.  (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Firefighters work the Angora fire in South Lake Tahoe.  (Brian VanderBrug / Los Angeles Times)

Flames leap above a ridgeline in the Latigo Canyon area of Malibu in November.  (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)

Chula Vista firefighters douse flames on a hillside below a tract of homes in October in San Diego County.  (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)

A firefighter in South Lake Tahoe mops up after a wildfire destroyed more than 250 structures in June 2007.  (Brian Vander Brug / Los Angeles Times)