More Fires at Griffith Park Fuel Suspicions of Arson

Two more fires in Griffith Park on Tuesday--the ninth and 10th in just over a month--are fueling suspicion that they’re the work of an arsonist, fire officials said.

Tuesday’s first blaze broke out about 11 a.m. and scorched about three acres along the 2700 block of Vermont Avenue. The second, which erupted about 3:30 p.m., blackened about 15 acres near Fern Dell Road. Neither fire threatened any homes.

“None of these fires are accidental,” said Los Angeles Fire Department Battalion Chief Dan McCarthy.

The fires have been classified as “incendiary and suspicious,” although investigators have no suspects and have not recovered any incendiary devices.

Except for Tuesday’s fires, all of the blazes have occurred on weekends, said Battalion Chief Bob Franco, the LAFD’s community liaison officer.

Half of the fires, including Tuesday’s and two on Memorial Day, have been near the Griffith Observatory, which shut down in January for a three-year renovation, Franco said. The 67-year-old landmark has not been threatened by the blazes.

Many of the fires, including Tuesday’s, have been battled with water-dropping helicopters because they burned in areas inaccessible by roads.

Firefighters said they have been able to control the blazes quickly because there have been no high winds.

“Our concern is when the wind starts to blow,” Franco said.

Park rangers already have increased their rounds, and the Fire Department is organizing volunteers to help patrol the park.

Anyone with information about the cause of the brush fires is asked to call arson investigators at (213) 485-6095.