Richard Nixon and the 1961 Bel Air Fire

Above, Richard Nixon hosing down his Bel Air home during the 1961 Bel Aire Fire.

The above photo jogged a memory.

Back in November 1961, a massive brush fire broke out in the hills of the Bel Air section of Los Angeles. Bel Air was (and is) an exclusive area of expensive homes of movie stars and major executives. I remember we watched the fire at the corner of our block in Los Angeles one night. Over 400 homes were lost in the fire.

One resident of Bel Air at the time of the fire was former Vice President Richard Nixon. Following his loss to John F. Kennedy in the 1960 election campaign (and before Nixon ran for California governor in 1962), Nixon moved to Bel Air.

I remember watching the news coverage of the fire on KTLA-TV - Channel 5. Their famous "Telecopter" broadcast views of the fire and one shot by their cameras was of Nixon on the roof of his house hosing down the house.

Roger Stone has a new book on Nixon, Nixon's Secrets, and on the Facebook page for the book, the photo of Nixon on his roof was posted.