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California Burning: Photographs from the Los Angeles Examiner

Malibu Fire, 1958

Taken on December 3, 1958, this photograph depicts a man standing on a fire engine, parked off the side of Malibu Canyon Road. A sign that reads “Coral Beach Cafe” hangs above him; below is the little shack cafe.[1] The man is looking out into the distance, where the hill in front of him is aflame. The fire began that day, December 3, and lasted until December 7.[2] Due to high winds, low humidity, and an abundance of fuel, the Los Angeles Examiner reported that “Flames erupted in crackling brush east of Malibu...” and quickly spread through the area.[3]

Since excess brush on the ground made it especially easy for the fire to ignite, Supervisor Burton W. Chace in Malibu stated that it was “a vital necessity” to create a new law on clearing brush near homes.[4] This shows the policy alterations that could occur after a fire. The small community of Malibu was shaken up due to the losses in “...house trailers, sheds, fences, bridges, ranch buildings, vehicles, animals, feed, and personal property.”[5] By December 6, the Los Angeles Examiner concluded that “Loss in damaged or destroyed homes and cabins is expected to reach more than $237,000.”[6] Due to inflation, this equals over $2.3 million today. This number proves that the fire did not cause mass destruction. Although in 1958, this was enough to instill fear in the citizens of Malibu.

[1] USC Library website: https://digitallibrary.usc.edu/CS.aspx?VP3=DamView&VBID=2A3BXZSZL00MM&SMLS=1&RW=1440&R H=789&FR_=1&W=1440&H=789

[2] “Big Blaze in Last Stages,” Los Angeles Examiner (December 6, 1958), Los Angeles Examiner Clippings Collection, University of Southern California Special Collections.

[3] “Malibu Lake Blaze Recalls ‘56 Disaster,” Los Angeles Examiner (December 3, 1958), Los Angeles Examiner Clippings Collection, University of Southern California Special Collections

[4] “New Fire Hazard Law” Proposed,” Los Angeles Examiner (December 10, 1958), Los Angeles Examiner Clippings Collection, University of Southern California Special Collections

[5] “Big Blaze in Last Stages,” Los Angeles Examiner (December 6, 1958), Los Angeles Examiner Clippings Collection, University of Southern California Special Collections.

[6] “Big Blaze in Last Stages,” Los Angeles Examiner (December 6, 1958), Los Angeles Examiner Clippings Collection, University of Southern California Special Collections.

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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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Malibu Fire 1958