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. First photograph caption dated November 7, 1961 reads "Firemen pause at truck as Bel-Air blaze creeps down Beverly Glen ridge."; Second photograph caption dated November 8, 1961 reads "The fire... ...caused this toll." Costs in lost residences, emergency response expenses, and watershed reclamation were estimated by insurance companies and government agencies to total $19-$23 Million.; See images #00127208 through #00127211 for all photos in this series. Additional series #00127209, #00127215 through #00127217.
Type
image
Format
1 photographic print :b&w ;26 x 21 cm. Photographic prints
Los Angeles (Calif.).--Fire Department--Uniforms Men--California--Los Angeles Fire fighters--California--Los Angeles Fire engines--California--Los Angeles Protective clothing--California--Los Angeles Fire helmets--California--Los Angeles Gloves--California--Los Angeles Ford automobile Fires--California--Bel Air (Los Angeles) Forest fires--California--Los Angeles Forest fires--California--Los Angeles--Prevention and control Streets--California--Bel Air (Los Angeles) Flame Trees--California--Los Angeles Brush--California--Los Angeles Foothills--California--Los Angeles Mountains--California, Southern Santa Monica Mountains (Calif.) Bel Air (Los Angeles, Calif.) Night photographs Valley Times Collection photographs
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