Yeah I remember when you were going through that.
We have some similar dangers here in Central Texas. Super dry, never enough rain. Hill/canyon topography that leads to channeling the fires. But we don't have the Santa Anas which is a significant part of what drove the intensity and the spread.
Even so, back in 2011, a town near Austin named Bastrop had a huge fire that burned 32,000 acres, including almost entirely destroying one of my favorite state parks.