"Is Something, Burning?" | Esquire - February 2004

"Is Something, Burning?" - Mike Sager

If I mentioned Steve Bartman to the typical American male, he would probably be able to tell me, with little prompting, about the unfortunate incident involving a foul ball that supposedly kept the Chicago Cubs from going to their first World Series since the 1940s. That, of course, is pure nonsense, yet this guy has been vilified since that fateful October night in 2003. The link above is to the official Major League Baseball website for goodness sake.

Now, what if I mentioned Sergio Martinez? Likely, the typical American male would assume that I was speaking of a middle reliever or spot starter, working in obscurity for some team in big leagues or maybe the minors. "Does he have good stuff?" would be the probably query.

Sergio Martinez, a couple of weeks after Mr. Bartman tried to catch a foul ball, set a fire in the Cleveland National Forest in southern California. He did, he says, because he was lost and feared dying. He wanted to signal rescuers to his whereabouts. The fire, now known as the Cedar Fire, burned over a quarter of a million acres and killed 15 people. (To be sure, this was not the only fire in California that autumn and Sergio Martinez was not the only person charged with starting a fire that season.)

Mike Sager's essay describing the fire and the actions of the people of Wildcat Canyon and the surrounding area is a fast-paced piece of literary reportage. It is a gripping action vignette. The various scenes start leisurely with a "man is it hot" or a "do you smell that?" moment (thus the title of the essay.) Quickly, the residents realize that this is serious and they make decisions that decide their survival.

The Los Angeles Times won a Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting for a series of articles on the Cedar Fire. It is interesting to read these pieces after reading Mr. Sager's work. It vividly explains the difference between news reporting and essay writing.

It is well worth the read. We, who are not the victims, quickly forget these tragedies. It has been six years since the incredible firestorms of 2003. Most of us have memories of news reports and helicopter camera work of tall flames and billowing smoke. But these images are interchangeable with every brush or forest fire that makes the news.

Read the essay, read the articles, place yourself there. We can't forget these things. We need to learn from them. How prepared are we for a disaster? How brave would we be in this situation? How many of us would have tried to get to the reservoir? (I know that was my first thought.)

Ah, but our minds are full of trivia about foul balls and angry fans. Steve Bartman, you're ok with me, though I've heard that your notoriety is still strong in your native town.

I wonder how Sergio Martinez is doing these days? What is it like to live with that action, however inadvertent the result, as part of your personal history?