Aug 16, 2008 10:53 pm US/Pacific
Crews Surround Brush Fires In Griffith Park
LOS ANGELES (AP) ―
A brush fire in the northeast corner of Griffith Park is at least 60 percent contained and four other fires nearby are surrounded.
Fire officials say up to 60 acres of dry brush have burned but no structures were threatened. Firefighters are remaining on the scene overnight and hoped to have the blaze fully contained by noon Sunday.
The first blaze was spotted just after 2 p.m. moving uphill near the Travel Town outdoor train museum. Travel Town was evacuated and streets on the north side of the park were closed.
Helicopter pilots noticed two other fires -- one on the other side of the ridge from the museum and the other about a mile and a half away -- as they dropped water on the first fire.
Later two more small blazes were spotted in an inaccessible area on a hill nearby.
Investigators did not know the cause of the fires but officials say the number of fires spotted in such quick succession made arson "something to think about."
It was the fourth time that firefighters have had to rush to battle flames in the urban park in the past month.
In May 2007, a fierce wildfire roared through hundreds of acres in the park and forced evacuations in adjacent neighborhoods.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
