Few scenes in life are more pitiful than that of a family made homeless by fire. Multiply the tragedy by 90 or so times and you get an idea of the proportions of the brush-residential fires in the Southern California counties of Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura last weekend. The picture grows more sickening when you consider the nearly 150 injuries (including 20 fire fighters), financial losses tentatively estimated at $22 million, and vast acreages blackened by flames. Winds up to 65 miles an hour which whipped up blizzards of spar s and soot intensified the hazardous situation, Outrage and indignation have been stirred y the belief of sheriff’s deputies that the Dayton Canyon blaze which destroyed 74 homes in the Malibu area was deliberately set, News accounts said 24 houses were destroyed and 50 mobile homes were reduced to twistedlmetal when the Dayton Canyon fire west of Los Angeles cut a 20-mile swat of destructionto the ocean. Officers should leave no stone unturned in their arson investigation. The California tragedy should be a reminder to peoiple everywhere that asi e from fires caused by lightning, most are preventable with proiper safety precautions. In seasons when brush and grass are tinder-dry, special care should be used in handling matches, cigarets, campfires and other hazardous materials and activities. The wind factor multiplies the danger and shjould be special reason for care an concem. Anyone who contemplates setting a fire for any purpose should consider both the safety factor and the Possible consequences 0 a blaze getting out of control. What happened in Southem California could happen in many another locality across the country, including here in Utah. The old a age, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, still applies and should never be forgotten,