I have lived in SoCal the majority of my life, and have seen many fires. I've never experienced smoke like this. There is beauty in the tragedy as well. In the last part of the 20th Century, we called these "Pinatubo Sunsets", because they were caused, for years, by high-altitude particulates from an explosive volcano so-named in the Philippines.

Smoke from wildfires is exceptionally bad this year. And it's only August. Fire Season is later in the year. (What an over-used expression, "it's only x-month".)

These fires have been burning for about a week in this area of SoCal now; smoke was drifting hundreds of miles to us longer from Northern California.

There was even a blaze in Palos Verdes, by the ocean, where it's supposed to be damp and humid. It has been in the 110-degrees range, and I can't breathe! At least, trying not to breathe the chunky, invisible particulate-filled air.

The attached clip was from Friday, 08/29/09 at the coast in Dana Point, where the smoke made for a spectacular sunset. It was warm, balmy and almost still. It seemed as if the atmosphere itself was ablaze.

--Nancy Lloyd 09/02/09