Glamorous Neighborhood Bel-Air Burns Again — 56 Years Later

LOS ANGELES, CA -- Fifty-six years ago, Americans saw images of California's elite — including former Vice President Richard Nixon — fleeing their homes from a devastating wildfire that burned the city of Los Angeles. Today, the glistening community of Bel-Air is facing the nightmare again.

A wildfire that sparked early Wednesday morning made its way through the city of Los Angeles, forcing the closure of the heavily-traveled 405 Freeway before hitting the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains where Bel-Air sits. The community houses celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston, Beyoncé and Jay Z.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the Skirball Fire grew to 150 acres, forcing Mayor Eric Garcetti to declare a state of emergency. At least four homes have been destroyed and two others damaged. Media mogul Rupert Murdoch's estate was also reportedly damaged.

The scene is a familiar one for Americans who saw roughly 500 homes worth $30 million burn down in 1961, according to a Los Angeles Times report.

Among those affected from the wildfire were Nixon and Zsa Zsa Gabor, the newspaper reported.

"'My three dark minks, my white mink, my sables, some really very nice little jewels are gone,' Gabor complained to the press in New York, where she had been when the fire hit. She flew home, where, with a shovel in hand and a 10-carat diamond on one finger and pearls around her neck, she sifted through the rubble," the article read.

The Skirball Fire is one of three burning in Los Angeles County. About two hours north, the Thomas Fire has scorched 65,000 acres from the city of Santa Paula to the Pacific Ocean.

The wildfires have been fueled by erratic Santa Ana winds with forecasters predicting it to worsen Thursday and Friday.

Also See: Los Angeles Neighborhood Fire At Zero Containment

--Photo: A fire truck is parked outside a mansion as smoke from a wildfire rises behind the property Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2017, in the Bel-Air neighborhood of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)