Community Corner
The Austrian Gulch Fire Near Los Gatos—July 1961
Following an extremely dry winter, the hills above Almaden Reservoir were a disaster waiting to happen.
On July 18, 1961 a fallen electric arc on a 12,000-volt power line ignited a fire above Almaden Reservoir, which was visible from Main Street in Los Gatos.
The Austrian Gulch Fire spread quickly across land parched by lack of rain the preceding winter, raging along the slopes of Mount Umunhum.
More than 1,000 men from the Forestry Division responded and a 60-men force of firefighters was dropped by helicopter into the rugged terrain to save valuable watershed.
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The fire was declared contained on July 27 after devouring 8,670 acres in what was called at the time “the most dangerous fire season in recent state history" by state forest ranger George Britton.
Source: Hooked on Los Gatos, the Library and Museum History Project
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Mima Templeman Hardwicke Collection
