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California Burning: Photographs from the Los Angeles Examiner

Calabasas Fire, 1958

This photograph depicts a civilian defense worker named Curtis Dible holding the horse that he rescued from the Calabasas brush fire on November 28, 1958. The brush fire broke out during the evening, becoming dangerous after 35 mile per hour winds drove the fire over the famous Warner Ranch and into a Calabasas neighborhood with countless expensive mountain properties. The brush fire was responsible for burning nearly 4,000 acres of land, injuring two firemen, and evacuating over 20 people from ranches and homes.[1] The fire also severely threatened and charred the ranch land of many celebrities including that of comedian Bob Hope.[2] Five hundred firemen and 100 servicemen from Fort MacArthur worked to suppress the fire amidst subfreezing temperatures; however, a small home, a cabin, and a trailer house were ultimately destroyed. Luckily for the hand crew, the weather was favorable and the fire was declared under control before the strong Santa Ana winds and low humidity that were to come later that day could worsen it. [3]

As weeks passed, the County Fire Department urgently announced flash flood warnings in the Calabasas area, specifically for residents at the canyon bottoms.[4] The County Flood Control District explained that the destruction from the brush fire left mountains stripped of flood-preventing vegetation, resulting in extreme hazards. Chief Engineer H.E. Hedger stated that residents were expected to be knowledgeable about weather forecasts and responsible for immediately evacuating homes during storm periods to avoid potential life loss and tragedies.[5] Fortunately, these floods did not come to fruition.

[1] “Brush Fire Controlled: Blaze Burns Out 4,000 Acres Northwest of Los Angeles,” New York Times (November 30, 1958), 7. “Brush Fire Sears 3000 Acres, Destroys Home: Two Fighters Injured,” Los Angeles Times (November 29, 1958), 1.

[2] “Raging Fire Perils Ranch of Bob Hope,” Chicago Daily Tribune (November 29, 1958), 10.

[3] “500 Firemen Halt Blaze in Calabasas,” Los Angeles Times (November 30, 1958), 1.

[4] “Brush Fire Controlled Near LA,” The Austin American (November 30, 1958), 10.

[5] “Canyon Homes Warned on Flood Hazard,” Los Angeles Times (December 21, 1958), 5.

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3. Brush fire (Rio Hondo fire), 1951 Depicted is a brush fire emerging in Rio Hondo, a tributary of Los Angeles County whose name derives from the 'deep river' - Rio Hondo - that runs parallel to the San Gabriel River. Even as an area of land named after a body of water, fires still manage to ravage the land, and the efforts to mitigate this state of emergency caused no shortage of worry and damage. The fire spread rapidly through the brushes upon it's kindling, burning more than 50 acres of land and damaging two houses within a few hours [1]. The dry climate helped propagate the fire and spread embers to rooftops where the smoldering did most of its damage [5]. While the fire fortunately maintained itself within the riverbed [4], it didn't make the lives of the Los Angeles Fire Department easy. They had to storm together a 10 unit battalion that aggregated teams from Whitter and the State Department of Forestry to contain the flame. Shown in the image is the efforts of the fire department mobilizing to eliminate the flame. To that end they were able to shut down the fire in two hours, even deploying tractors with dozer blades in order to eliminate the immediate presence of fuel. While the nature of the fire was calmed quickly, quantifiable amounts of damage were done to the surroundings, and fire fighters were dispatched throughout the night to ensure embers didn't form again [1]. Fires like these continued to strike the area, and in 2005, volunteers and Angeles Chapter Staff came together to form a campaign called the Emerald Necklace which aims to plant trees and brushes that reinstate the park experience that perhaps once existed in the area [6].
4. Chatsworth Brush Fires, 1957
14. Warner Brothers Studio Fire (Burbank), 1952

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Calabasas Fire 1958