Fire

The drought in California has been drastic. Our open spaces are ripe for flames. Arsonists know this and often wait for the perfect winds to set their blazes and today we are surrounded on all sides by wild fires. It's been confirmed that the Irvine fire was intentionally set but the Malibu fire was started when the winds blew down power lines.

Tens of thousands of acres in seven counties are burning at this moment. Cities including, Malibu, Canyon Country, Lake Arrowhead, Irvine, and San Diego are burning and blowing smoke and embers in the 40 mile per hour winds. We have gusts of wind up to 60 and 70 miles per hour. Malibu sits about 25 miles north of where I live but I can see the smoke from the beach. Canyon Country is a little north east of there and Lake Arrowhead is in the San Bernadino Mountains in the east, about 100 miles from where I sit. We are perfectly safe here but it is an erie feeling to know that you are surrounded in all directions by fire.

"Fire. If there ever was a dichotomous element it would be Fire. Fire, the bringer of destruction, the symbolism of chaos and war. Fire burns everything, bringing nothing but ruin. And yet, Prometheus risked the wrath of the Titans to bring fire to man. Fire banishes the darkness. Fire cleanses and purifies. Lastly, sometimes Love is spoken of as an eternal flame. Fire.
Fire can be shown as an agent of destruction. Everyone can imagine the scene where the heroine looks down and the town is awash in flames. Fire is also usually used for strong emotional feelings (such as love, hate, desire, and determination). Fire can also be used to express determination or a strong desire as well.

Characters and things that are shown to have a 'fire-esq' quality to them usually have a red-colored theme to them. Red because flames and coals have a red coloration to them. They are also more likely to be violent (in this case violent meaning extreme and chaotic) in their response and more likely to rush into a situation without completely thinking the consequences through. For example, Hino Rei / Sailor Mars (from Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon) is Fire personified, but she is hardly evil, nor does she have evil intents. She is strong-willed, hot-tempered, and incredibly determined and independent, that's all.