Person in custody after fire near Los Angeles’s Griffith Observatory
A person is in custody after a fire near Los Angeles’s iconic Griffith Observatory was largely extinguished on Tuesday afternoon.
No structures were threatened and no one was injured by the blaze, according to Los Angeles Fire Department (LAFD) public information officer Erik Scott.
“Nearly all active flame has been eliminated and forward progress stopped after one hour & 12 minutes,” Scott tweeted, adding that 92 firefighters fought the flames covering roughly six acres of medium brush.
The fire department also tweeted that one person was in the Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD) custody but did not provide further details about the person’s identity.
“The cause of the fire remains under active investigation in a joint effort by LAPD and LAFD’s Arson Investigators,” the department said.
The Hill has reached out to the police department for comment.
Earlier in the day on Tuesday, the LAFD classified the fire as a “Major Emergency.”
“Griffith Observatory has now been evacuated and Park Rangers are assisting with public safety by keeping hikers from entering the nearby trails. No homes have been evacuated,” the department also said.
Earlier this year, Western state officials have warned that the upcoming fire season could be worsened by an ongoing drought.
The California Department of Water Resources said in April that the snowpack stood at just 38 percent of its average, a sign that the record drought would continue for another year.