California burns for months every year – soon, so will Europe

From California to Greece, the world is burning, writes David Callaway – and we’re running out of time to quell the flames

Our holidays are the least of our worries (AP)

The text from our local police outside San Francisco popped on my phone just like any other. I had to look twice to register what it said. "Evacuation order – Wildflower Court and surrounding neighbourhood. Fire burning. Leave now”.

Even though wildfires were already part of our daily lives in Northern California that summer in 2020, I never thought they would approach our neighbourhood. Never, that is, until one started that morning on the hill above us.

That sudden rush of panic – my wife was still asleep – as I swept up phones and wallets and car keys, reminded me of when I had fled a wildfire in Los Angeles just months earlier while at a business conference at a high-end hotel. While lying in bed at dawn contemplating that morning’s panel discussions, I picked up my phone to see a text from the conference organiser. “Conference cancelled today. Fire approaching. Good luck.”