This project was supported in whole or in part by the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act, administered in California by the State Librarian Made accessible through a grant from the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation and Photo Friends
Photograph was edited for publication purposes The Bel Air Fire was a brush fire that began on November 5, 1961 in the Bel Air community of Los Angeles. 484 homes were destroyed and 16,090 acres were burned. As a direct result of the Bel Air Fire, Los Angeles initiated a series of laws and fire safety policies. These included the banning of wood shingle roofs in new construction and one of the most stringent brush clearance policies in the United States. The Los Angeles City Fire Department produced a documentary, "Design For Disaster," about the wildfire, narrated by William Conrad. Photograph caption dated November 9, 1961 reads "Pilot Hal Haines - 'A few close calls.'" Haines flies a fire-fighting B-17 borate bomber to help battle the Bel-Air and Topanga fires.; See images #00127219 through #00127222 for all photos in this series.
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;21 x 20 cm. Photographic prints
Air pilots--California--Los Angeles County Men--California--Los Angeles County Airtankers (Forest fire control)--California--Los Angeles County Fire control (Aerial gunnery)--Equipment Headphones--California--Los Angeles County Sunglasses--California--Los Angeles County Airplanes--California--Los Angeles County--Instrument panels Airplanes--California--Los Angeles County--Cockpits Los Angeles County (Calif.) Valley Times Collection photographs
If you're wondering about permissions and what you can do with this item, a good starting point is the "rights information" on this page. See our terms of use for more tips.
Share your story
Has Calisphere helped you advance your research, complete a project, or find something meaningful? We'd love to hear about it; please send us a message.