Los Angeles – The third wildfire this year in an urban tinderbox in the shadow of the Hollywood Hills was half surrounded Wednesday, and hundreds of evacuees from a nearby neighborhood were allowed to return to their homes.
If the weather cooperates, firefighters expected to fully contain the erratic blaze by this evening after it chewed through 817 acres of Griffith Park, a sprawling mix of wilderness and landmark cultural venues in the rugged hills between downtown Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley.
Fighting fires in the area is especially difficult because of the heavy brush and narrow, twisting roads that weren’t designed to accommodate fire engines.
“These hills haven’t burned in 50 years,” fire Capt. Carlos Calvillo said. “It’s only a matter of time until we have a really serious, life-threatening fire on our hands in the hills.”
The area is part of the eastern Santa Monica Mountain range running about 40 miles from the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles to Point Mugu in Ventura County.
Temperatures hovering near the 90s and low humidity of about 2 percent threatened to stifle progress against the fire, which started Tuesday afternoon in Griffith Park.
Lower temperatures overnight and continuous water- dropping by helicopters helped hundreds of firefighters make progress against the fire.
The 4,000-acre park remained closed, and only residents were being permitted to enter.
Stoked by extremely dry, hot conditions, the fire spread quickly after it began, forcing the closure of several major attractions, including the recently renovated Griffith Park Observatory, Los Angeles Zoo and Greek Theatre.
Authorities were still determining the exact cause, but they said the fire did not appear to have been intentionally set.
The flames and smoke had forced officials to put most of the zoo’s 1,200 animals inside holding quarters.
“So far the animals are faring fine,” said Jason Jacobs, director of marketing and public relations for the zoo.
