From the LIFE magazine archive: “Senator Richard M. Nixon on roof of his home in Los Angeles, putting out fires caused by brush blaze.”Google, in an effort to “organize all the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful” is digitizing and putting online never-before-seen images from the LIFE magazine photo archive. So far they have put about 20% of the 10,000,000 photos online.
Kent Maxwell, via FireNet, called this to our attention and pointed out that many of the photos are dated August 8, 1949 with the citation Helena, Montana. The Mann Gulch fire, in which 13 smoke jumpers died, started on August 5, 1949 in the Helena National Forest. One of the photos shows 10-12 boxes about the size of caskets.
To search in the photo archive, go to Google and enter: (your search terms) source:life
HERE are the results, showing 200 images, of a search for: forest fire source:life
The Nixon photo above was probably taken at Nixon’s Yorba Linda home, in the same area that was impacted by the Freeway Complex fires in southern California in November (Wildfire Today coverage). I don’t think Nixon ever took off his tie. I remember seeing a photo of him walking on the beach near his retirement home at San Clemente, wearing a coat, tie, and dress shoes.
