The good news is that for the second time in four weeks the West San Fernando Valley, home of Chatsworth and Northridge, two names that are semi-recognizable to people living outside the area, because they seem to be magnets for disasters, dodged a fire storm.

The Sylmar fire, now dubbed the Sayre fire, which everyone refers to as the Sylmar fire, did not move further west than Granada Hills, but turned in the opposite direction and is now moving east towards the Angeles National Forest.

Good news for thousands of people living in densely populated areas of the San Fernando, Simi, Santa Clarita valleys and Newhall, but dubious news for the forest creatures and the grandeur of a national forest.

Thousands of acres burned; upwards of 700 homes and others structures gone; minor injuries suffered by several firefighters; one civilian seriously burned; death toll unknown as the search goes on for people who are unaccounted for; an unknown number of pets and other animals lost; and most heinous… the arrests of five looters yesterday.

Looters should be shot on sight. There no P.C. for me on this one. They mercilessly take advantage of the misery and misfortunes of others.

They are right up there on the list of despicable human-being-types, right after murders, rapists, child sex molesters and child abusers.

There are also numerous fires burning out of control to the east of L.A. in Orange County. Containment on most of them is from zero to five or 10 percent.

Even the Sylmar fire is only 20 percent contained, which is a strange figure since at last reports it was marching east. The Montecito/Santa Barbara fires, which began last week, and had been reported as ’contained,’ they are now saying are only 40 percent under control.

It’s wait and watch. And if the predictions made by Farmer’s Almanac are correct, we’re in for more waiting and watching.

December is predicted the be the wettest rainy season we’ve had in years, and rain following fires is a guarantee of flooding and land and mudslides.

We shall wait and see.