The fire that has threatened L.A. County since August 26 doubled in size last night, and is nearing the Mount Wilson Observatory, used by researchers from UCLA.
As of 8:00 a.m., the fire was five percent contained and had destroyed 121,000 acres, and as of Monday, there was an estimated $7,671,000 in damage according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Public Affairs Section.
The origin of the fire is unknown, and has an estimated containment date of September 15, said Steve Zermeno, a spokesman from the Los Angeles Fire Department.
UCLA faculty members who work in the Mount Wilson Observatory were evacuated on Friday due to the proximity of the wildfires, said Roger Ulrich, emeritus professor of astronomy.
Luca Bertello, astronomy researcher, worked at the observatory and said the 150-foot solar tower housed on Mount Wilson provides daily observations of the sun’s magnetic fields.
He said the data provided by the tower is used for a variety of purposes, including space weather modeling.
Ulrich, who has been responsible for the solar tower since 1986, said the last time that an L.A. fire caused damage on Mount Wilson was 30 to 40 years ago.
He added that the observatory is well defended against fires.
“I don’t think this one’s going to get close either,” Ulrich said.
The observatory has a water tank and firemen also cleared brush around the observatory on Sunday, Ulrich said.
As of Tuesday, the Mount Wilson Observatory was protected and has not suffered any damage, said Fire Inspector Matthew Levesque. He added that there are strike teams in place to protect the towers.
Although he remains confident that the fire won’t directly harm the observatory or the solar tower, he said a potential firestorm could cause irreplaceable damage and end his research.
“It would be daunting to try and resurrect the program,” Ulrich said.
Mt. Wilson houses one of the main repeater sites for L.A. County, which helps boost radio and broadcast signals. Any damage to the tower would not significantly affect the signal, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department’s Public Affairs Section.
In addition to UCLA, USC, UC Berkeley and Georgia State University have research facilities on Mt. Wilson, Bertello said.
The fire is currently spreading northeast, Zermeno said, and firefighters are working to keep the fire contained above Route 210.
Saturday’s football game against San Diego State in Pasadena, one of the affected communities, is still scheduled to take place, though updates will be posted throughout the week, according to a statement released by UCLA football.
Source: Los Angeles Fire Department, Compiled by Neja Jaganathan, Daniel Schonhaut and Samantha Schaefer, Bruin senior staff