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 "Ground crews work fast to load borate bombers at Van Nuys National Guard Airport. The sticky liquid borate solution is pumped into the bellies of bombers, first photo, from the nearby mixing area, center, where workers mix borate powder with water. Officials said the borate was being flown over the Santa Monica Mountains at the rate of 20 tons an hour Wednesday. Workers, covered with the white powder, worked rapidly amongst the empty borate bags."; See images #00127219 through #00127222 for all photos in this series.
Type
Image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;22 x 21 cm. Photographic prints
Van Nuys Airport Men--California--Los Angeles Fire fighters--California--Los Angeles Borate minerals--California--Los Angeles Airtankers (Forest fire control)--California--Los Angeles Fire control (Aerial gunnery)--Equipment Ladders Airports--California--Van Nuys (Los Angeles) Hose--California--Los Angeles Van Nuys (Los Angeles, Calif.) Valley Times Collection photographs
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