SOCIETY TALK: Fires humble the rich celebs of California

It felt like a real-world scenario out of the movie ‘2012’. In the film, the world is about to end due to a surging of the seas, which could force the oceans to swallow up all land. As expected, some brilliant men in America had predicted this situation and built several arks that were meant to withstand the apocalyptic Tsunami. Tickets, of course, were sold to the highest bidder.

If you look all around us, even throughout history as well as plans for the future, the rich believe that they are more entitled to life than the poor. They forget the one main rule about an end-of-life event: it doesn't discriminate.

For the past two weeks, firefighters in California have been battling a wildfire that has consumed and devastated a greater part of Los Angeles. The fire that started in the affluent suburb of Palisades has spread to other neighbourhoods in the city.

It has destroyed hundreds of homes, displaced thousands and killed dozens. What's worse, this fire cannot simply be put out. The people of California are left pointing fingers and trying to find someone to blame.

A great many celebrities and rich folks have lost their homes. One suspected victim (not confirmed) is Kim Kardashian. The reality star's house is in the fire-prone neighbourhood. However, in past situations, she has been known to hire private firefighters to keep her home from being lost in wildfires.

If you have watched the bunker documentary I mentioned earlier, you would know that Kim Kardashian and her then husband Kanye West were among the first to buy these ridiculous shelters. Of course when Armageddon strikes, the people we would want to keep humanity alive are a washed-up reality star and a mentally unstable singer.

The rich forget that not only does Armageddon not discriminate, it also comes without warning. If Kim Kardashian and the other celebrities lost their homes in Palisades this week, we know that as much as they have suffered a big loss, they are unlikely to be affected by the aftermath of the fire in the same way an ordinary person would be. These people have more homes than they can keep track of and they have money to start over.

Having lived in a wildfire-prone area during my graduate school years, I have lived to see a couple of them, and I have seen the extent of their rage. I realise that Kenya is not a wildfire-prone area but I did wonder, with our firefighting department being what it is, how would we have handled such a situation?

Our firefighting and rescue departments are a joke at best. They often arrive at a scene, run out of water and stay there for vibes. Have you ever seen a Kenyan fire station? In Mombasa, we have just one. One fire station in a city of about two million people!

The fire station itself is a pre-colonial building in the densest part of the city. I have personally never seen them in action. Every time a fire breaks out, it is the people who come together to put it out.

Our government is barely managing to provide Kenyans with the basic needs, our infrastructure is a joke and often donated or paid for by loans from the West. If we are that unprepared for our day-to-day needs, imagine a situation that is almost apocalyptic in nature.

The befuddlement and blunders would be enough to wipe out whoever is affected. All I can say with certainty should we be faced with a calamity is: may God have mercy on our souls.