It's ironic (and annoying) that a few nights ago, we had a "spare the air night" and were asked to not burn wood in our fireplaces on a cold and gloomy night. But within 48 hours, the California Department of Forestry was doing a little burning of its own - 1400 acres on Mount Hamilton.

Controlled burns are intended to reduce fire risk and provide some other benefits. (It is supposedly good for the habitat of the area, but I have a feeling that more than a few animals lost their lives in this burn.) But why do it now, when the rainy season is just around the corner?

I don't know the answer to that. I do know that it's a 3 day burn. The air is bad. I can't believe that this is allowed when a fireplace isn't. It's unfathomable to me that the air now isn't far worse than earlier in the week. Will they burn again tomorrow? It appears so.

NBC 11 has a nice slideshow with better pics than my Treo could capture. Enjoy.