What to Know
- The landmark and hiking areas are closed while firefighters mop up hot spots from a fire that erupted on Tuesday
- A "handful" of vehicles were damaged in the fire
- Some 2,000 people were evacuated from the Observatory as a precaution
The area around the Griffith Observatory will remain closed until Saturday after a brush fire scorched the popular Hollywood Hills destination on Tuesday afternoon.
The area will be closed as firefighters mop up hot spots and check that everything is safe. Firefighters are using drones to find and extinguish hot spots.
The fire was reported at 2:09 p.m. northwest of the observatory. A "handful" of vehicles were damaged or destroyed along Observatory Road.
Helicopters from the city and county fire departments made water drops as about 200 firefighters on the ground battled the flames, which burned amid light winds in "light, flashy fuels" and was described by LAFD spokesman Brian Humphrey as topography-driven.
About 2,000 people were evacuated from the landmark and some were being shuttled aboard buses to pick up their vehicles.
Two firefighters were assessed for exertion-related complaints and one was taken to a hospital for further evaluation, Humphrey said.
