Bel Air Fire

1961 wildfire in Southern California

November 5, 1961 (1961-11-05) –
November 8, 1961 (1961-11-08)

LocationBel Air, Los Angeles, CaliforniaStatisticsBurned area6,090 acres (2,465 ha; 10 sq mi; 25 km²)Land useResidential, wildlandsImpactsDeathsNone reportedNon-fatal injuries200Structures destroyed484 homesIgnitionCauseUnknown

The Bel Air Fire was a disaster that began as a brush fire on November 6, 1961, in the Bel Air community of Los Angeles. The fire destroyed 484 homes and burned 6,090 acres (24.6 km²)^[1] At least 200 firemen were injured, with mostly eye injuries due to the smoke and flying embers.^[2] The fire was fueled by strong Santa Ana winds.^[3]

There were multiple celebrities affected by the fire. Actors Dennis Hopper and Brooke Hayward,^[4] Burt Lancaster, Joan Fontaine, and Zsa Zsa Gabor, comedian Joe E. Brown, Nobel laureate chemist Willard Libby, composers Lukas Foss and Conrad Salinger, and writer Aldous Huxley all lost homes in the fire. Others that fought flames before they evacuated were former Vice President Richard Nixon, actor Robert Taylor, film producer Keith Daniels and orchestra leader Billy Vaughn.^[5]

The fire's precise cause was not determined, but it was believed to be accidental.^[6]

Aftermath

As a 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 US.^[3]

The Los Angeles City Fire Department produced a documentary, "Design For Disaster", about the wildfire, narrated by William Conrad. It called the densely packed homes nestled on hillsides covered in dry brush "a serious problem in fire protection, even under the best of conditions."^[6]

References

^ Ditzel, Paul (Jan 1, 1986). Los Angeles Fire Department: Century of Service the Fascinating Story Hundreds of Spectacular Action Photos of Fires And Apparatus. Los Angeles Firemen's Relief Association. p. 168.
^ Ditzel, Paul (Jan 1, 1986). Los Angeles Fire Department: Century of Service the Fascinating Story Hundreds of Spectacular Action Photos of Fires And Apparatus. Los Angeles Firemen's Relief Association. p. 167.
^ ^a ^b staff (2014). "Bel Air Fire". Los Angeles Fire Department Historical Society. Archived from the original on 2011-12-30.
^ "The Untold Story of Brooke Hayward and Dennis Hopper's Hollywood Home". Vanity Fair. 9 February 2018.
^ Harrison, Scott (November 7, 2010). "Bel Air Fire - Framework". Los Angeles Times.
^ ^a ^b Lloyd, Jonathan (5 November 2019). "From the Archives: The November 1961 Bel Air Fire Disaster". NBC Los Angeles. NBC Universal Inc. Retrieved 29 December 2019.