Bel Air Fire

This article is about the 1961 fire. For the 2017 fire in Bel Air, see Skirball Fire.
Bel Air Fire
Date(s)
  • November 5, 1961 (1961-11-05) –
  • November 8, 1961 (1961-11-08)
  • (4 days)
LocationBel Air, Los Angeles, California
Statistics
Burned area6,090 acres (2,465 ha; 10 sq mi; 25 km2)
Land useResidential, wildlands
Impacts
DeathsNone reported
Non-fatal injuries200
Structures destroyed484 homes
Ignition
CauseUnknown

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]

  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ staff (2014). "Bel Air Fire". Los Angeles Fire Department Historical Society. Archived from the original on 2011-12-30.
  4. ^ "The Untold Story of Brooke Hayward and Dennis Hopper's Hollywood Home". Vanity Fair. 9 February 2018.
  5. ^ Harrison, Scott (November 7, 2010). "Bel Air Fire - Framework". Los Angeles Times.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference NBCLA1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).