Winds Again Shift Stubborn Mountain Blaze Away From Palomar Observatory

An unpredictable fire that has burned for six days in the rugged Cleveland National Forest shifted Friday afternoon toward Palomar Mountain, but later turned away. Fire officials said the world-famous observatory atop the mountain, being guarded by 500 firefighters, was not in imminent danger.

U.S. Forestry Service spokesman Chris Cundari said erratic winds turned the flames southeasterly at 1:30 p.m., toward the Palomar Observatory. The observatory was also threatened Thursday, when the fire burned within 3 miles of its grounds, but a sudden wind shift pushed the flames west of the mountain.

Late Friday, the capricious winds again turned the fire away from the observatory and homes on Palomar Mountain and turned the blaze eastward, U.S. Forest Service information officer Rosalinda Ewen reported.

Observatory spokesman Bob Thicksten said Friday that the fire had crept as close as 2 miles from the observatory’s two domes that house four telescopes, including one with a 200-inch mirror that is the world’s second largest.

‘Terrain Is Almost Inaccessible’

However, Thicksten and fire officials were optimistic that the 500 firefighters stationed around the observatory could control the fire if it approached any closer, and stop it before it reached the observatory.

“The fire is creeping. They’re doing their best to knock it down, but the terrain is almost inaccessible,” Thicksten said.

Much of the terrain where the fire is burning is steep, rocky and covered with manzanita bushes that are fueling the flames. The area is largely inaccessible to fire crews and equipment. Fire officials are using 14 air tankers and 6 helicopters to battle the fire from the sky.

Aerial tankers were called in about 10:30 a.m. Friday to successfully fight a part of the fire that erupted at Morgan Hill, 3 miles northwest of the observatory. Flames were shooting up to 100 feet in the air, said Thicksten, before they were quelled by the tankers’ chemical spray.

Gusty winds pushed the main fire farther northwest, toward the Eagle Crag Sanctuary, on Friday afternoon, Cundari said. He said the fire was burning “right next to the sanctuary,” but firefighters succeeded in keeping the flames away from the 400-acre preserve, which is home to endangered golden eagles, bald eagles and spotted owls.

Fire Has Burned 11,640 Acres

The stubborn fire has burned 11,640 acres since it began last Saturday, sparked by a recreational shooter south of Vail Lake in Riverside County. More than 2,000 firefighters are battling the blaze, including 200 men and women from the California Conservation Corps. Corps spokeswoman Susanne Levitsky said that is the most corps members ever committed to a fire.

Fire officials estimated it has so far cost $3.1 million to fight the fire. They expect the final containment cost to be at least $6.5 million, Cundari said. On Friday, fire officials said the fire was 58% contained but offered no timetable for putting it out.

More than 400 youths were evacuated Thursday from two campgrounds on Palomar Mountain. Fire officials said the evacuations were a precaution, and the children were never in danger. On Friday, fire crews were stationed at five homes that lie on a ridgeline between the observatory and Webber Ranch, which lies 2 1/2 miles northwest of the observatory, as a precaution.

Only three structures have been destroyed by the fire, officials said. Numerous minor injuries have been reported, but only one firefighter has been hospitalized, with a broken collarbone.

Ash from the fire caused officials to close the observatory, which is run by the California Institute of Technology, last Saturday. Thicksten said he did not know when the observatory would reopen.

Late Friday, Forest Supt. Mike Rogers closed the vast Cleveland National Forest to target shooting. He said the ban will remain in effect until there is rain and the fire danger eases.