Smoking on local trails is dangerous

The devastation and fatalities from the rampant Western wildfires this summer, including awful fires in Southern California, are both appalling and frightening. Therefore, I was even more angry and appalled than usual in finding cigarette butts on a recent walk in the Verdugos.

There were a few scattered butts on both the Las Flores and Verdugo motorways, but even worse were the many butts I discovered scattered in the edge of the brush alongside the concrete water tank at the top of the Las Flores road. The tank is a favorite resting and snacking place for hikers. I’ve groused on this page before about the trash scattered there.

It boggles my mind that anyone could be so stupid as to smoke in the midst of brush that is almost as dangerous as gasoline in its flammability. And it’s impossible for me to adequately express my fear of the potential disaster that could ensue from the dumb acts of smoking addicts in the hills. Is there nothing we can do to stop such idiotic and dangerous behavior?

Robert Morrison
Glendale