Griffith Observatory, L.A. Zoo undamaged in fire but still closed

By Jane Engle, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
12:30 PM PDT, May 09, 2007

The Griffith Park fire in Los Angeles had destroyed hundreds of acres by this morning, but its effects were localized. The park's major tourist attractions, including the Griffith Observatory and the Los Angeles Zoo, were undamaged but remained closed because of access and staffing problems.

Some updates:

Griffith Park and nearby roads remained closed this morning as firefighters worked to contain a huge fire that had burned more than 800 acres.

No major park structures were known to have been destroyed, said Albert Torres, chief park ranger. But the loss of acreage was substantial.

"The park's habitat is really well known," Torres said. "That's the heartache that most people are going through."

Dante's View, a much-loved, terraced and shady patch of gardens maintained for decades by volunteers, was among areas consumed by the blaze, Torres said.

But Torres, who has worked at Griffith for more than 32 years, said he was confident the park would recover from what he said was its worst fire since 1933.

Based on past experience, he said, "these areas will replenish in three to four years," not necessarily as they were but "enough so you recognize it as parkland."

Dante's View, he added, was replanted after it burned more than 15 years ago. "Dante's View will always be Dante's View," he said.

The park's telephone is (323) 913-4688.

Griffith Observatory, which evacuated about 150 visitors Tuesday afternoon, was planning to be closed all day today, said spokeswoman Erin Scharf. It was undamaged.

Visitors with reservations for today were advised to call the reservation center at (888) 695-0888 to exchange their tickets for a future date.

On a typical weekend day, Scharf added, the recently reopened attraction draws thousands, but weekdays get lighter crowds. Recorded updates were available at (213) 473-0800.

The Los Angeles Zoo was also undamaged. It stayed closed today after evacuating about 2,000 visitors, plus nonessential staff, on Tuesday afternoon.

The facility's 1,200 animals remained on-site and were unharmed, said an employee who declined to be identified because she was not an official spokesperson. Evacuated visitors received complimentary zoo passes, she added. Telephone: (323) 644-4200.

Traffic: Although freeways near Griffith Park, including Interstate 5 (Golden State) and California 134 (Ventura), were open this morning, some local roads were not.

Los Feliz Boulevard, along the park's southern side, was closed between Riverside Drive and Western Avenue, according to a posting by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation at trafficinfo.lacity.org. (Click on the Greek Theatre area map for info.) The Los Angeles Fire Department website, www.lafd.org, also has information on the fire.

The city website also advised drivers to expect closures on northbound Vermont and Hillhurst avenues at Franklin Avenue or Hollywood Boulevard in the Hollywood/Los Feliz areas.