Wildfire continues to burn in Los Angeles
Pastor Dale Morgan
*
Wednesday May 9, 8:59 PM Reuters\
*Wildfire continues to burn in Los Angeles*
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The wildfire in an emblematic Los Angeles park
continued to burn early on Wednesday, although firefighters had managed
to drive the flames away from an affluent neighbourhood evacuated overnight.
Fire officials said over 600 acres (250 hectares) had burned in Griffith
Park, the largest urban park in the nation and a popular spot for hikers
and families.
The fire was 45 percent contained and some of the 300 people evacuated
from the upscale Los Feliz neighbourhood would be allowed back to their
homes at daybreak.
The combination of unseasonably hot weather, erratic winds and the
driest year on record in the second largest U.S. city allowed the fire
to rage through the dense, brittle brush for 16 hours. It was believed
to be the park's worst fire in at least three decades.
Traffic reporters warned it would be a difficult commute as the
firefighting effort closed major exits in the web of freeways that
surround Griffith Park, a few miles north of downtown and east of the
landmark Hollywood sign.
Before sunrise, orange flames were visible on the ridge behind the
famous Griffith Observatory, where scenes from James Dean's classic
movie "Rebel Without a Cause" were filmed in the 1950s. Overnight, the
fire destroyed a favourite hiker perch called Dante's View.