The ongoing story about the wildfires in California takes your breath away, doesn't it?

As one official remarked, in the fire's early stages, it spread from an area of around 10 square kilometres to 200 square kilometres in just 10 minutes. 

When you see how quickly Mother Nature can turn vicious under the right conditions, it's pretty sobering. 

Of course, tragedies and dramatic events happen all the time around the world, but we're not always drawn to them in the same way as we are to the California wildfires. Probably because it's a part of the world that feels so familiar. American culture is such a prominent feature in our own lives. 

We recognise some of the places and names of those affected. I mentioned somewhat frivolously yesterday that one way to keep up with the fires' progress might be to check out the Kardashians' Instagram feed. 

How true that turned out to be with them posting some startling images of the devastation. 

One thing I'd almost forgotten is that this is North America, and it's the middle of winter. 

You could be forgiven for thinking these events were happening in Australia, where bushfires wreak havoc almost annually. But here we are in California, in winter, alongside news of record snowfall and incredible ski seasons in other part of North America - what a contrast. 

Inevitably, there will be talk of climate change and how to mitigate humanity's impact, but the warnings were there beforehand. 

California officials and experts have long cautioned about wildfire risks, citing overgrown vegetation, drought, and delayed forest management. 

Billions had been allocated for wildfire prevention, including vegetation clearly, but clearly implementation hasn't been fast enough. 

But it's one thing to announce the money, and another thing to spend it well. 

Politicians are already facing scorching criticism for the lack of preparedness. Whether it's the failure to manage the growth of vegetation that provided fuel for the fires, ensuring reservoirs had enough water to fight them, or taking other preventative steps - those warnings don't seem to have been heeded. 

And it's here that possibly the lesson lies.

If there's one human quality that has enabled us to survive and keep evolving, it's our ability to adapt. 

If earlier steps had been taken to prepare - removing fuel sources, improving water sources, and heeding expert warnings - then maybe the disaster we're witnessing wouldn't have been on such a horrendous scale. 

Sure, debate climate change all you like, but the immediate challenge is our ability to prepare and adapt. 

Right now, though, all we can really do is thank our lucky stars it's not us, and extend a bit of empathy to those who have seen their lives go up in smoke. 

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