The driest conditions in 200 years combined with strong Santa Ana winds have set California on fire. Satellite images show smoke pouring over the Pacific ocean while back on the ground thousands of firefighters battle five major blazes. Almost a million people have been forced to flee their homes. Residential damage has already topped a billion dollars.

CNN has photos of refugee Californians bunked out at Qualcomm Stadium. It’s a sight that is becoming eerily familiar.

I don’t know about you, but when I think of the word “refugee” I picture a dusty road somewhere in Africa. Darfur comes to mind, or Somalia. But more often in recent years the refugees have been much closer to home. “Refugee Americans” seems like it should be a contradiction in terms. But we saw it in New Orleans two years ago, and now here it is again in California.

For the owners of the 1300 homes destroyed in the fire, it’s time to start again. With no warning, and no do-overs this week will become a dividing point separating life into before the fire and after. I realized as I was looking at these photos that “refugee” is a word I expect to apply to someone else, someone far, far away. But as we’re seeing in these images again today, it only takes a moment for the world to change.

Has there been a dividing point in your life? As you watch what took place in New Orleans and now in California, what are your thoughts?

Photo of Santiago Wildfire courtesy of Kevin Labianco. Used with permission under a Creative Commons 2.0 (Attribution) License.