Twenty-one wildfires are raging throughout California today. Fifteen of those started in a 24-hour period. More than 1,500 homes and buildings have burned to the ground.

In the Napa area, fire destroyed two wineries and vineyards. In northern Santa Rosa, fire destroyed a school, a Kmart, a McDonald's, a mobile home park, strip malls, two luxury hotels and hundreds of homes and apartments. In the Anaheim Hills, fire destroyed a dozen million-dollar homes.

California has major fires every October, almost as though they're on a regular schedule. In October 2003, huge fires burned 472,000 acres near Ventura, San Bernardino and San Diego. The acreage burned in this year's fires may top that number.

Why do we pay our firefighters (and police officers and school teachers) so little while we pay actors and athletes so much? Somethin' ain't right!

13 dead, 150 missing as Northern California fires continue to rage