EDITORIAL:

This is not Katrina.

We — Southern Californians, Orange County residents — are not surprised. We’ve seen this before (although, perhaps, not to this degree). We’ve felt the Santa Ana winds. We know about the drought conditions.

They — from area officials to the governor to the president — have not denied, delayed or pointed fingers.

And most importantly, our firefighters are performing tirelessly and heroically every step of the way.

The wildfires that have engulfed Southern California from Santa Barbara County to San Diego County, and which include more than 18,000 acres of scorched earth in Orange County, are, to be sure, a tragedy of epic proportions.

More than five dead. Hundreds of thousands displaced. Nearly 2,000 homes ruined.

But there is a silver lining: This is not a tragedy, in the form of human incompetence and neglect, upon a tragedy.

Quite the contrary.

What we have witnessed would soften the hardest of hearts.

In the Newport-Mesa area alone:

• No less than seven fire engines have been dispatched to the Santiago Canyon fire northeast of Irvine.

Meanwhile, our cities make due with thinned resources. If that’s not the definition of a good neighbor, we don’t know what is.

• Newport Beach swore in 42 Newport Beach Community Emergency Response Team volunteers Saturday, after more than a month of training in first aid, search-and-rescue tactics, earthquake/tsunami situations and fire suppression.

A day later and continuing through the week those volunteers — and there were many from Costa Mesa, as well — provided food, drinks and services to safety crews at different command posts throughout the county.

• Local hotels, motels and other facilities have taken in hundreds and possibly thousands of evacuees fleeing from fires in Orange and San Diego counties.

As the 5 Freeway packed with cars Monday, hotels throughout the area began offering reduced rates, breaking their no-pets rules or supplying water to the evacuees.

The Hilton in Costa Mesa, one of the most expensive hotels in town, cut its price for a two-bed room from $309 to $165.

The Vagabond, the Marriott-Costa Mesa and the Best Western Newport-Mesa Inn lowered their rates as well.

The Holiday Inn Costa Mesa brought in cases of water to distribute to guests who had been outside in the unhealthy smoky air.

By midday Wednesday, nearly every hotel in the area had filled to capacity.

There were many other acts of kindness.

Unfortunately, we don’t have the space here to include them all.

But we can be heartened that during a disaster we have been prepared and we have responded.

Because of that, we can be hopeful.