LOS ANGELES (CNS) – A small brush fire forced an evacuation of the famed Griffith Park Observatory today, but there were no immediate reports of any injuries or structural damage.
The blaze was reported shortly before 3:30 p.m. along North Nottingham Avenue on a hill just south of the observatory in Griffith Park. Originally reported as a roughly 100-by-50-foot spot fire, the blaze quickly grew to about four acres, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.
Smoke billowed up the hill, some of it wafting across the observatory’s famed domes, although the flames did not appear to be immediately threatening he landmark.
Because of the fire’s proximity to the observatory and the thickness of the brush, the fire department classified the blaze a“major emergency.”
In addition to evacuating the observatory, park rangers were also clearing hiking trails in Griffith Park.