Saugus Fire, 1951
1 media/Saugus-Fire_thumb.jpg 2022-09-25T16:35:53-07:00 Bennett Patterson f69222bdb6cd17e5145ea3e6e3280bc60b91d6f8 41365 2 plain 2022-10-24T10:14:53-07:00 Los Angeles Examiner Photographs Collection, 1920-1961, USC Digital Library 1951-08-26 Curtis Fletcher 3225f3b99ebb95ebd811595627293f68f680673eThis page is referenced by:
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Saugus Fire, 1951
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This photograph depicts a group of people, likely a family or set of families, gazing from afar as the raging flames of the Saugus Fire tear through a nearby mountain range. The Saugus Fire began in the early afternoon of August 25, 1951, and torched the Angeles National Forest in Lake Hughes, California, roughly 60 miles from Los Angeles[1]. The fire started by the negligent tossing of a lit cigarette[2]. On the first night, 200 firefighters battled the flames and established multiple fire lines around the outer area of the fire’s coverage. However, dry, heavy winds, reaching up to 30 miles per hour, quickly drove the fire out of control. While trying to decrease the spread, three firefighters suffered painful injuries, one of whom sustained multiple second-degree burns[3]. Furthermore, a lookout station, a helicopter, and a pickup truck carrying a 150-gallon drum of gasoline all burned in response to the flames, helping to increase the fuel supply for the fire’s spread. At its peak, more than 500 firefighters battled the extreme conditions. Despite this, the fire raged over four days, stretching 22 miles in length and burning roughly 10,000 acres[4]. The fire endangered over 200 homes and a large resort in the Lake Hughes area; luckily, the fire halted approximately a mile and a half short of the region before any mass evacuation efforts[5]. Finally, on August 29, natural rainfall extinguished the last of the flames, potentially saving millions of dollars’ worth of damage in the Lake Hughes area[6].
[1] “200 Men Battle 1000-Acre Fire Near Saugus” Los Angeles Times (26 Aug 1951), 1.
[2] “7 HURT FIGHTING FOREST FIRES IN CALIFORNIA” Chicago Daily Tribune (28 Aug 1951), 1.
[3] “RESORT AREA FIRE RAGES: Flames on Wide Front Unchecked” Los Angeles Times (Aug 27, 1951), 1.
[4] “Fire Roars Over Mountains in California Forest Preserve” New York Herald Tribune (Aug 28, 1951), 1.
[5] “Canyon Brush Fire Almost Under Control” Los Angeles Times (28 Aug 1951), 1.
[6] “Siskiyou Fire Raging Out of Control” Los Angeles Times (30 Aug 1951), 1.
