Historic Hollywood Retreat Destroyed By Valley Fire

COBB (CBS13) — Among the hundreds of homes and buildings lost in the Valley Fire is a one-time Hollywood hangout where Clark Gable once vacationed.

Wednesday's rain mixed with ash from the Valley Fire, leaving the once-proud resort a soggy mess.

The owner, Dan Nelson, says he knew the place burned in the fire, but that didn't make his return any easier.

"Being here live and seeing the devastation of the resort is unbelievably sad," he said. "When I saw the fire coming over the hill it was coming fast."

The Valley Fire beared down on the 55,000-square-foot resort he owns and was restoring to its glory days.

Photos of the Hoberg's resort's past show it in its prime. Built in the early 1900s, the resort website shows Gable vacationed there during the '30s and '40s, as did former jazz great Tommy Dorsey, Hollywood legend Merv Griffin and one-time heavyweight champion Max Baer. California governors had a room there as well.

Outside of the stone pillars, it doesn't appear anything survived. Nelson will be now be sorting through what's left, hoping to find a token relic of this one-time treasure.

"I would have grabbed original photos, and original artifacts—we just didn't have time," he said.

He did manage to save the blueprints before evacuating.