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Welcome to the Buckbury, first of 2025, and let's dive right into these wildfires in California.

What we're seeing so far when it comes to the response and what we can learn about this going

forward. First off, it's a tragedy. Thoughts and prayers go to everybody who is affected by this.

I truly mean that. I know people who are just a step or two removed from this wildfire.

I've been corresponding with people who have been afraid they were going to lose their homes,

have family members who did lose their homes to the fire,

or at least were severely damaged by these fires, multiple fires,

breaking out across this area of greater Los Angeles and mostly in the Palisades area.

And look, I always feel like we should focus on what matters most, first and foremost.

And so I will, and I have, which is making sure that everyone gets out who needs to get out,

and that's the primary concern that we all have,

and that our first responders, that our frontline personnel are given the resources that they need,

and that's what we're primarily focused on.

There is also a discussion that is happening about how this could get

so out of control so quickly and do so much damage. And it's not as though California and specifically

the Los Angeles area shouldn't be in some way prepared for this or hasn't been preparing

for this. They've been upping the budget of the last 20 years substantially for fire prevention

and protection. And that doesn't seem to have had anywhere near the intended effect

because of fire of this level of catastrophic damage,

you have to ask, well, what would it look like if they hadn't deployed the, or rather,

...