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“The great San Dimas fire, publicized over the nation by television, radio, and wire service dispatches, started about 1 p.m. last Thursday, September 1. Within about 2 hours 12 residences and buildings were destroyed and an estimated half million dollar loss was caused.” So began the front page article in the Thursday, September 8th, 1955 edition of the San Dimas Press.  “One of the Scout houses destroyed by the 1955 fire. Photo courtesy of the San Dimas Historical Society.” September 2005 marks the 50th anniversary of the great San Dimas Fire. Besides the San Dimas Press, the fire made the front pages of the Pomona Progress Bulletin, and the Los Angeles Times. The Los Angeles Times headline screamed “115 HOMES ON FIRE! San Dimas area people evacuated by bus; Blaze rages out of Control.” Thanks to the archives at the San Dimas Historical Society we can relive some of the coverage of the fire. The Los Angeles Times article also reported “All available equipment from the County Fire Department was on the scene. Following urgent appeal from Chief Keith Klinger, in charge of the fire, equipment began to roll into the area from surrounding communities. Pomona, Los Angeles, West Covina, El Monte, the State and U.S. Forestry Departments, South Pasadena, Monrovia, Arcadia, La Verne, Glendora, Monrovia all rushed equipment to the scene. Power lines were burned through, rendering the area without electricity. Firemen and residents were endangered by almost continual explosions. Many of the homes in the area use butane gas for cooking and heating. The tanks were exploding like popcorn in a hot pan. |
Firemen were hampered in their efforts by sight-seers, who caused countless traffic jams in their attempts to get into the area and view the devastation. All available police were sent to the area to reroute traffic around the fire. Early Saturday night Sheriff Biscailuz ordered all available deputies to the scene. The town, he explained, was wide open for looters.” An initial estimate of the loss was $500,000 for damage to structures, and citrus and avocado trees. Amos House, the local agricultural inspector, reported that approximately 4,500 fruit trees were damaged, of those, 3,100 were citrus trees, and the remaining 1,400 were avocado trees. The papers all report different numbers for the number of homes reported, and the amount of acres the fire covered. Approximately 500 acres were burned and 13 – 15 structures were destroyed. The fire started along the hills north of Puddingstone Reservoir and burned to the north, marching both east and west. It went as far west as Ameila Avenue, which used to extend south of Covina Boulevard, marched north to Cienega Avenue, and east as far as San Dimas Canyon Road. The San Dimas Press reported “The largest loss was the Jon Brittain house at the intersection of Cannon and Walnut avenues which has been estimated at $85,000. This fine house was built about 30 years ago [1922] by Frank Harwood, now deceased, one of the pioneer citrus men of the community.” Also destroyed were the Pacific Electric / Southern Pacific railroad station located on South Cataract at what is now the Metrolink tracks, the Boy Scout house, and the Girl Scout house along what is now Arrow Highway near San Dimas Avenue. Pat Gore, a long time resident of San Dimas (the Gore family has been in San Dimas for over one hundred years) remembers the fire well: “We thought the whole town was going to burn.” In 1955 Pat worked at the San Dimas Elementary School District office on South Cataract (now Pioneer Park). After working with an old typewriter from the nineteen thirties, she had just received a new IBM typewriter from the school district. The fire had jumped over Arrow Highway and started up Cataract, burning an out building at the south end of the campus. Determined not to lose the new typewriter, she and a friend snuck through the fire lines and rescued the new typewriter. |