Burnt park not down for the count

The fire that engulfed almost a quarter of Griffith Park was brought under control Wednesday, but not before destroying familiar natural landmarks and leaving hillsides charred and barren.

Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said Wednesday evening that the fire was 75% contained and that there were no more active flames in the park. He said the number of firefighters on the scene had been reduced to fewer than 40.

“The tide is turning in our favor,” Villaraigosa said. “We are winning the battle of the flames.”

Fire officials warned, however, that the park was still in danger if winds picked up again. And Deputy Fire Chief Mario Rueda said that more unpredictable fires should be expected because of dense brush and tinderbox weather conditions.

“We’re seeing erratic fire behavior and it’s become the norm,” he said.

Miraculously, no homes at the edge of the park were destroyed. Also spared were such iconic landmarks as the Greek Theatre and the newly reopened Griffith Observatory. The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, the park merry-go-round and the Autry National Center also were untouched, though at one point Tuesday, the flames threatened them all.

The zoo animals were returned to their outdoor exhibits Wednesday after spending Tuesday afternoon and night in their indoor enclosures, watched over by keepers. The zoo itself, however, remained closed to the public, as were all the access roads.

On Wednesday morning, Park Ranger William Ramirez scanned the destruction the fire had caused to some of the most popular areas of the park.

“It’s difficult to see,” said Ramirez, who has been a ranger for 19 years. “It looks naked.”

The blaze broke out about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday just east of the Hollywood sign and whipped through thick brush and old-growth trees, fanned by erratic gusting winds.

Police at first thought a homeless 20-year-old man might have inadvertently started the fire, but after intense questioning, determined that he had not. Officials have not yet pinpointed the fire’s point of origin.

Flames scorched more than 800 acres of the 4,200-acre park, including old-growth sycamore and oak trees, as well as native chaparral that is home to a wide assortment of wildlife.

“Overnight, the park has changed dramatically,” Ramirez said. “When the rains come, erosion is going to create havoc.... A lot of mud is going to come down onto the roadways.”

Shortly after dawn Wednesday, City Councilman Tom LaBonge pointed to the scarred remnants of his beloved Captain’s Roost and Dante’s View, two of the park’s most well-known natural landmarks.

“It’s just a step away from losing your dearest friend or neighbor,” LaBonge said as he tried to explain his loss.

Also Wednesday, friends Abby Schachner of Los Feliz and Michelle Yhun of Silverlake were walking up Vermont Avenue toward the Greek Theatre to see what the fire had done to their favorite hiking spots.

“It’s sad,” Schachner said. “It’s very, very hard to accept what’s happened. We loved to hike up here. It’s so sad.”

Yhun said one of her favorite spots, Bee Rock, behind the Old Zoo, was gone.

“I loved that place,” she said. “It was so peaceful.”

Still, nature lovers took heart in the knowledge that the trees and plants eventually will return.

“Nature has a way of nourishing itself,” LaBonge said. “It’s going to be several years before it gets to where it was before. But if there’s any rain next winter, the hills will be filled with yellow mustard seed by this time next year. It’ll look like Oz.”

Albert Torres, the chief ranger at Griffith Park, said about 14% of wildlife habitat was lost to the fire. In addition to the loss of vegetation around hiking trails, the fire caused the exodus of untold numbers of birds and animals. Torres said he saw seven or eight coyotes seeking refuge from the inferno Tuesday night, as well as a fleeing buck.

“He was scrambling, looking for somewhere to go,” Torres said.

The ranger stressed, however, that there was “plenty of habitat remaining” and pointed to two red-tailed hawks soaring in the warm breeze.

He said that residents near the park should be aware that animals may wander into their neighborhoods as they seek new places to call home, noting that one woman had already found a deer in her driveway.

“They love roses,” Torres said of deer. “Be careful and patient with them. Give them some space.”

Marty O’Toole, a fire education and prevention specialist for the National Park Service, said the chaparral plants would sprout again and that the plants and grasses would come back in a couple of years.

He also said that although some animals died, most simply left the burn area.

“Almost all animals are hard-wired to find where there is a safe place to go,” he said. “By and large, birds are going to fly away, mammals are going to run away and reptiles are going to bury themselves.”

O’Toole said fires in Griffith Park are inevitable, because Los Angeles has so little rain and the park is used by so many people. “One little spark is going to set off a fire,” he said.

Meanwhile, those who live around the park pondered their losses Wednesday.

Gabriella Parra, 40, and her son, Tupac Otero, 3, fled their Richland Avenue apartment about 8 p.m. Tuesday while her husband stayed behind.

She said that she and her family are regular park visitors and that her son particularly enjoyed the merry-go-round and the zoo.

“It was really devastating because it has so many memories for us,” she said. “Every day, practically, we go to the park.”

Randall Fleming, 39, who watched the blaze Tuesday night, said people would appreciate it more “now that part of it is gone.”

His wife, Lo, 29, who grew up going to the park, said it was an odd feeling to watch flames burning a landmark that is so much a part of the city’s heritage.

“It’s surreal to watch a part of L.A. history set on fire,” she said.

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anna.gorman@latimes.com

amanda.covarrubias@latimes.com

Times staff writer J. Michael Kennedy contributed to this report.

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Begin text of infobox

Status of hiking areas

The Griffith Park fire destroyed more than 800 acres. One of the largest municipal parks in the United States, the 4,200-acre property was bequeathed as a Christmas gift to Los Angeles in 1896 by Col. Griffith Jenkins Griffith, who made a fortune as a gold speculator. All of the park’s buildings survived. But the following popular hiking areas were either damaged or destroyed:

Mt. Hollywood Trail

The 1.4-mile trail is one of the most heavily used in Southern California. It starts at Griffith Observatory and climbs to a 1,640-foot peak, offering some of L.A.’s best ocean-to-Valley views. The fire wiped out two of its best-known areas on either side of a fork in the trail, about half a mile from the summit.

Dante’s View

This popular shady oasis of plants and trees was destroyed. Equipped with picnic tables and a water fountain, it provided a welcome respite for weary hikers, along with striking city views. It was developed in 1964 by Dante Orgolini, who brought water and plants up the mountain to create the garden, at first to park rangers’ chagrin, but eventually drawing their encouragement, according to Mike Eberts, author of “Griffith Park: A Centennial History.”

Captain’s Roost

Older and less shady than Dante’s View, this retreat offered views of the city’s Westside and, on clear days, the Pacific Ocean. It was destroyed.

Fern Canyon Trail

This trail was burned along both sides, all the way to the upper parking lot of the merry-go-round.

Bee Rock

One of the oldest trails in the park, it leads from the Old Zoo picnic area to a distinctive outcropping of rocks. The area surrounding Bee Rock now resembles a moonscape.

Vista del Valle Drive

Scenery along both sides of this road, closed to cars since 1990, was heavily burned from Commonwealth Avenue to Bee Rock.

The Upper Part of Bird Sanctuary

The popular hiking area, which climbs halfway up the slope of Mt. Hollywood, was heavily burned. It was home to hawks, sparrows, scrub jays and other birds.

Cedar Grove

On the park’s east side, about a third of this wooded area -- which stood in as a winter wonderland in old Hollywood movies as well as the scene of shootouts in the film “Die Hard” -- burned, according to Councilman Tom LaBonge’s office. However, most of the cedar grove was preserved.

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Written by Valerie Reitman, Times Staff Writer

Sources: Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks; office of City Councilman Tom LaBonge; and author Mike Eberts.

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Park site closures

Closings

* The Griffith Park fire led to closures Wednesday of the Autry National Center, Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, and Travel Town Museum.

* The Loreena McKennitt concert scheduled for the Greek Theatre today was moved to the Gibson Amphitheatre (formerly Universal Amphitheatre), 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City. Start time is 8:30 p.m.

* The Autry center will also be closed today. The Greek Theatre expects to be open Friday.

* At press time, information was unavailable about other possible reopenings.

Call ahead

Contact the individual organizations for updated information:

* Autry National Center, (323) 667-2000, www.autrynationalcenter.org

* Griffith Observatory, (213) 473-0800, www.griffithobs.org

* Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, (323) 644-4200, www.lazoo.org

* Travel Town Museum, (323) 662-5874, www.traveltown.org

* Greek Theatre, (323) 665-5857, www.greektheatrela.com