When the California Gap Fire broke out in the foothills above Goleta and Santa Barbara on July 1, 2008, thick smoke and ash made for an ominously red sky. But the fires seemed manageable, confined as they were to a relatively small area in the Glen Annie and La Patera canyons. Few of us were prepared for the raging inferno that would ensue less than 48 hours later as powerful offshore winds forced the flames down the mountains and prompted mandatory evacuation orders in several residential areas.