As California waits for the “ big one “ a devastating fire has descended on Southern California.

This may be remembered as the great San Diego fire as the Chicago fire once was. The spectacle of multi-million dollar homes burning down while leaving even the very wealthy homeless is very humbling. Rich or poor can be devastated by disaster. The homeless whoever they are were being herded into Qualcomm stadium home of the San Diego Chargers. The Katrina disaster also herded people into the stadium of the New Orleans Saints with all the violent crime that it caused. The same should be expected in San Diego.

In a very paradoxical way this disaster may be a Economic boom to the slumping housing industry. In the interim expect properties undamaged by the fire to go up in price and the entire housing industry to prosper because of the need to rebuild so many destroyed and damaged homes.

Economics is funny sometimes but history teaches that disasters prompt economic boom.

That is why arson by interested parties in the building industry are always so suspect.

Tragic but true.