When the Eaton Fire flared up on January 9, flames producing thick black smoke climbed to the top of Mount Wilson. Mount Wilson is a mountain above the San Gabriel Valley near Los Angeles that is home to an important communications tower and the historic Mount Wilson Observatory.
What happened next is a fire prevention success story.
Winds were light in the area, but the steep slopes were covered in thick brush, which provided fuel for the blaze that started two days earlier during a Santa Ana storm that firefighters described as one of the worst they had ever seen. The road to the top is winding and narrow, making it difficult for fire engines and crews to reach the area.
Flames were visible near towers and other structures on the summit, and thick smoke drifted over the ridge.
It was a disturbing scene on a day when five wildfires broke out in Los Angeles County, including the deadly Eaton and Palisades fires.
NBCLA technicians working on the agency’s transmission tower in Mount Wilson remained horizontal as wildfire flames burned within meters of each other. Days of preparation, clearing brush and a tailwind helped Dennis Doty stay calm. Check out the report for Thursday, January 9, 2025.
“It was a wall of fire going up the mountain,” said Dennis Doty, a technician who worked at the NBCLA transmitting site.
He spoke to NBCLA during a live broadcast on Jan. 9 as the blaze progressed.
“It’s going to be a long battle today, tonight and tomorrow, but we’re ready to get through this,” Doty said in an on-air interview.
His outlook was based on proven fire preparedness.
“We do a lot of brush cleaning here,” Doty said. “This was part of our plan with NBCUniversal, so we had the defensive space we needed. The building is made of concrete and steel. So rather than trying to get wrecked with a fire truck and get off the mountain. , it’s safer here.”
Video from NewsChopper4 also showed red lines of flame retardant painted in the thick brush below the ridge.
The fire continued to grow as there were no plants near the tower for fuel. There was no damage to communication equipment or observatories.
Founded in 1904 by George Ellery Hale, the observatory became one of the world’s premier astronomical research facilities, with the world’s largest telescope.
Conan Nolan explains the historical significance of Mount Wilson in Los Angeles.
“I’m very satisfied because I did my job correctly,” Doty said. “If the site is defensible, I’ve done my job.”
A week after the wildfire, power remains out at the mountaintop. Fuel is delivered to the generators by truck every day.
“Without it, we’re dead,” said Scripps Broadcasting’s Marty Sjostrom. “No television, no radio, no two-way communication, no emergency services, nothing.”
In September 2020, the 41,700-acre Bobcat Fire burned within 500 feet of the observatory. It was closed at the time due to the pandemic and staff had been evacuated. Backfires were installed to clear dry vegetation from the area, providing defensible space for firefighters to protect the summit.
The Eaton Fire, which started near the foothills community of Altadena, destroyed homes and businesses after starting on the night of January 7th.
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