It has been many years since I lived in Pacific Palisades, but the recent wildfires brought a recollection from the 1961 Bel-Air fire.
This fire raged for many days, consuming more than 400 homes. Palisades High School was shut down, reportedly not for fear of the fire, but so high school traffic would not interfere with all the emergency vehicles on Sunset Boulevard.
While my parents stayed home and picked up many years’ worth of pine needles, which they had considered mulch but was now a fire hazard, a friend and I decided to investigate what was happening with the fire. The smoke was coming from all along the Santa Monica Mountains just north of the Palisades. We spotted a fire truck stationed on McKendree Avenue, just west of Monument Street. We decided to talk to the fireman as to what was going on. They indicated they were stationed there to see if any sparks came flying their way.
Just then, one of the firemen pointed to a chimney of white smoke in a canyon area behind a distant hill. He said that if that hotspot wasn’t put out, the fire would come racing into Pacific Palisades. Then three or four airplanes showed up and started circling the plume of smoke.
One aircraft came down and “bombed” the plume, and then another, and soon it had disappeared. I have always considered that incident the battle that saved Pacific Palisades.
George Peairs | San Diego
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