‘Person Involved’ Arrested After Griffith Park Brushfire Threatens Famous Observatory Before Checking Out

The wildfire destroyed nearly six acres of land and forced the evacuation of the famous Griffith Observatory today, and the person involved was arrested.

The fire was reported at 3:30 am on North Nottingham Avenue in Hill, just south of the Griffith Park Observatory. Initially reported as a fire about 100 to 50 feet long, the fire quickly grew to about four acres, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Smoke rose from the top, some reaching the famous observatory domes, but the fire did not reach key landmarks or the nearby Greek theater.

92 @LAFD Firefighters are struggling with it. # Major Emergency #Forest fire, burned about 6 hectares of medium-sized shrubs. Almost all active fire was extinguished and progress was halted after one hour and 12 minutes. pic.twitter.com/XpLY0BTU4D

– 🅢🅒🅞🅣🅣 🅢🅒🅞🅣🅣 (@PIOErikScott) 18 May 2022

Due to its proximity to the fire brigade lookout point and thick bush, the fire department described the fire as a “major emergency” and dispatched more than ten air-assisted engines.

In addition to evacuating the observatory, the park rangers were also clearing the trails in Griffith Park.

The observatory was closed to the public during normal hours on Tuesday, but all staff were fired from the building.

LAFD announced that around 3:55 p.m., crews were able to detect the fire in an area of ​​approximately six acres. No one was injured in the fire.

The cause of the fire is under investigation, but the Los Angeles Police Department has confirmed that authorities have arrested a person involved in the fire. However, additional details were not immediately available.

This is the latest fire disaster faced by first responders. The next day, a fire called Lauren Canyon caused some confusion. In fact, it was not located in the canyon stretching between the valley and the sunset, but in the Silmar Stream of the same name.

According to the Los Angeles Fire Department, the fire at 12300 North Laurel Canyon Boulevard was about an acre at 6:05 pm. There was also light wind, but the structures are not in danger. https://t.co/YX80pHZYb4

-CBS Los Angeles (@CBSLA) 18 May 2022

Of course, there was also a Laguna Nigel fire last week that destroyed at least $20 million worth of homes. This fire was finally declared 100% occupied today.

City News Service contributed to this report.