Heed Smokey the Bear's wise words this fire season

We pride ourselves, when living in the Inland Northwest, that we do not have to endure Mother Nature’s wrath, as do other parts of the country.

We don’t have tornadoes like the Midwest, nor hurricanes like the South and Atlantic Coast.

We’re relatively safe from earthquakes, even though there’s a newly discovered fault that runs along Hangman Creek and the Spokane River.

Floods come and go, ice storms are rare and we’re pretty well-versed at dealing with snow.

But if there’s one natural force that could — and now does — thrust us into the national spotlight, it’s wildfires.

As the state’s larg...