Fire Expected to Hit Mount Wilson Facilities

From the Los Angeles Tmes:

“It’s still a very treacherous situation,” said U.S. Forest Service Incident Cmdr. Mike Dietrich. “The fire has a lot of potential, and it’s still a big animal.”

It remained particularly precarious atop Mt. Wilson, home to the historic observatory and a complex of communications towers used by nearly 50 radio and TV stations.

By mid-afternoon, the fire was making its closest incursion onto the 5,710-foot peak yet, coming from two directions: half a mile to the north and three-quarters of a mile to the west.

“We expect the fire to hit the Mt. Wilson facilities between 5 p.m. today and 2 a.m. Wednesday morning,” said Los Angeles County Fire Department Deputy Chief James Powers at his command post at the observatory. “Right now, we’re conducting controlled burns around the perimeter in preparation for the impending fire’s arrival. We’re also bringing in trucks and special equipment to coat all of the structures with protective gel and foam if necessary.”

Full coverage at the Times site.