I'm not entirely sure why, but to me the California fires are really quite disturbing (obviously they're disturbing to the victims). Fortunately the death toll isn't very high, and probably won't get very high, but nonetheless a lot of people are in a world of hurt right now. Assuming they're all reasonably insured, and assuming the insurance companies don't jerk them around, the disruptions to their lives are to some degree only temporary.
Personally, I've moved around so much and I don't have kids, so I've never really established a "Home" in the grander sense. And, I've never really been one to have strong connections to "stuff." But, I understand people who do have those things. In addition, homeowners in California tend to stay put for a long time, largely due to the odd property tax laws. Given this, and home prices, many people have their entire wealth in their homes. Again, one assumes insurance covers most of it, but nonetheless.
When I lived in OC I lived in the shadow of a hilltop community which had been decimated by fire a decade ago. The town still hadn't rebounded mentally, as far as I could tell, even though the houses had been rebuilt.
