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This year the danger has come very close.
Devastating forest fires, which usually blaze in the south and in the mountains of California, also afflict the Bay Area around San Francisco.
They also threatened Silicon Valley, home of many tech giants and start-ups.
Reason enough for the developers in the region to use their resources to help with fire protection.
An example: Squishy, a sturdy robot that can withstand flames and heat.
O-Ton "" We have an outer protective cover and inside is a brain with chemical sensors, cameras and communication equipment. This robot enables us to throw it around or drop it out of aircraft into dangerous situations without anything breaking. "
Squishy is already being tested in some states.
The cameras, for example, show the fire fighters exactly where the fire is and how badly it is.
The start-up Zonehaven is going a different way than squishy with its evacuation platform.
Maps, fire brigade and police stations and residents are connected to one another.
This is intended to accelerate evacuations - and prevent residents in small communities in particular from being surprised by approaching fires.
O-Ton "" One of the things we try is to make it very easy for a first responder who has just arrived at the fire to make a decision about an evacuation.
Dozens of people have been killed in the forest fires along the US west coast in recent weeks.
This year's fire season is considered to be one of the hardest of all time - and it will last four to six weeks.
