Griffith Park Fire burns 25 acres, damages vehicles

GRIFFITH PARK (KABC) -- Firefighters took quick action and stopped a vegetation fire that erupted near the Griffith Observatory and left multiple vehicles damaged or destroyed on Tuesday.

The blaze, dubbed the Griffith Park Fire, was first reported around 2 p.m. near the 2800 block of East Observatory Road, northwest of the popular tourist destination. It was initially estimated to be around 2 acres.

More than 200 fast-moving firefighters were able to stop the forward progress of the blaze by 3:30 p.m., according to Los Angeles Fire Department PIO Erik Scott. Two firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion, authorities said.

Officials said the blaze burned a total of 25 acres and was 90 percent contained shortly before 8 p.m. Drones were brought to the scene to look for hot spots.

Fire crews battled the flames from the ground and the air amid warm temperatures, high humidity and light winds in the area.

More than 2,000 people from the Griffith Observatory, Greek Theatre and Griffith Park were evacuated out of an abundance of caution.

The fire did not pose threats to any structures, fire officials said; however, five vehicles were damaged or destroyed along Observatory Road.

As of 5 p.m., some evacuated residents were still waiting to get to their cars but were expected to be bussed back to leave the area.

Sam and Daniela Menato, visiting from Toronto, described being evacuated and having to leave their vehicle during the brush fire.

"It was pretty shocking to see a big wall of fire. I just saw some of the cars that were parked on the roadway. It looked like they were on fire as well, but we were all rushing to move out of the way cause we were being directed away from the fire," Sam said.

The public was urged to get out of the area by taking Western Canyon Road. A reunification point was set up at the Greek Theatre.

Los Feliz Boulevard was shut down from Vermont Avenue and Fern Dell Drive as mop-up work continued.

No injuries were reported in the fire, and the cause of the blaze was not yet known.

The Greek Theatre confirmed in a tweet that a scheduled show Tuesday night will go on as planned.

The Griffith Observatory will likely be closed Wednesday as crews remain overnight at the scene to make sure there's no flare-ups overnight.