A fire broke out near the Griffith Park Observatory on Tuesday.
Firefighters responded with ground units and helicopters and by Tuesday afternoon, the fire had burned about 10 acres of land within a quarter-mile northwest of the Griffith Observatory.
The Los Angeles Fire Department said the facility was calmly evacuated by Police & Park Rangers due to drifting smoke and the need for responder's heavy apparatus to operate safely in the area.
There were no injuries and no persons were missing on Tuesday afternoon. Neither the Griffith Observatory or any other structure were currently threatened by fire. Officials said some cars in the vicinity of the flames might have been damaged by radiant heat but final details won’t be available for several days.
Though there was a slight wind, LAFD said the flames were driven by topography and vegetation.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The Fire Department said they joined LAPD and Park Rangers in asking hikers, bicyclists, equestrians and motorists to avoid any urge to sightsee near the fire and to avoid the immediate area of the blaze until firefighting operations are complete.
editor@www.smdp.com
