The Eaton Fire, raging uncontained northeast of Los Angeles, climbed up Mount Wilson on Thursday and at one point destroyed the historic Mount Wilson Observatory and numerous antennas and transmitters used for communications and local television broadcasts. threatened.
The fire had burned more than 13,600 acres and destroyed thousands of structures near Pasadena and Altadena by Thursday evening, California officials said.
“The fire is moving toward the historic Mount Wilson area,” Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna said at a news conference Thursday afternoon.
Footage from local news stations and webcams showed the Eaton Fire climbing Mount Wilson as smoke filled the sky.
Around noon, the Mount Wilson Observatory announced on social media that there was a power outage and that firefighters were on site.
Mount Wilson Observatory is an important place in the history of modern astronomy. Astronomers in the early 20th century used the famous Hooker telescope to make important observations about the Milky Way and deduced that the universe was expanding.
About 120 firefighters were called to Mount Wilson to fight the blaze, assisted by water droplets from a helicopter, said Don Freglia, director of operations for California's Interagency Emergency Management Team.
“We have a good feeling about what we need to do on site tonight to keep the scene safe,” Fregria said, adding that authorities expect to “contain the situation within the next 24 hours.” Ta.
No damage to infrastructure or observatories had been reported as of Thursday night, Freglia said.
The Mount Wilson Observatory announced late Thursday night that the nearby fire appeared to be under control.
“All of the observatory's core crew members are safe. They may be tired, but they can sleep through the night now,” said Dan Cohn, the observatory's chief operating officer, adding that power was restored on Friday. He added that he expects the situation to recover.
This is not the first time the observatory, which sits on a ridge overlooking Pasadena, has come under threat. The 2018 Bobcat Fire occurred within a few hundred of that telescope dome.
