Forest Roads, Trails Reopen After Wilson Wildfire
ANGELES NATIONAL FOREST (CBSLA) – Authorities Friday reopened an area in the Angeles National Forest that was closed because of a fire near the Mount Wilson Observatory, which scorched about 50 acres of brush in an area where firefighters were still working to douse hot spots.
The Wilson Fire, reported about 5 a.m. on Oct. 17, led to the precautionary evacuation of the landmark observatory for a time.
Firefighters are still working to fully extinguish all embers from the fire, listed as 70 percent contained, according to a statement from the U.S. Forest Service. They are also working to repair trails and mop up hot spots.
"Officials say the area, roads and trails in the vicinity of the Wilson Fire are open again because the potential for rapid growth has diminished," the sheriff's statement said.
The fire sparked on a mountainside just below the observatory and a facility that houses critical broadcast and communications antennas for the region.
On the afternoon of Oct. 18, authorities found the charred body of 18-year-old Matthew Huerta at the fire scene. He had been reported missing in Sylmar earlier that same day.
The cause of the fire and the cause of Huerta's death remain under investigation.
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