Topanga Canyon blaze

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Dropcap_a_packard spark from an electrical short in the pump house at Hertz Ranch was blamed for a fire that burned 125 acres before it was contained, The Times says.

Six other fires were also burning in Southern California, The Times says. In one of the most dramatic moments, a helicopter dropped firefighters on Mt. San Gorgonio ahead of the advancing flames in the San Bernardino Mountains.

Hertz Ranch was owned by John D. Hertz, the founder of Hertz Rent-a-Car and owner of Yellow Cab Co., who died in 1961. Hertz built an elaborate fallout shelter on the Shoup Avenue site before selling it in 1959 for the Pinecrest School.

Bonus fact: Harry James once boarded his horses there, but I can’t find any information about it being a movie ranch.

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About lmharnisch

I am retired from the Los Angeles Times
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