One-fifth of the city's sprawling Griffith Park was a fire-charred landscape Thursday as firefighters extinguished that last remaining hotspots from a wildfire that had threatened its landmark observatory and zoo.Firefighters had the fire zone close to contained and were working on smoldering tree stumps and clearing away smoky debris.
Cooler nighttime temperatures helped firefighters rein in the 817-acre blaze — the third this year in the urban tinderbox of the Hollywood Hills. Still, officials cautioned that a sudden change in the weather could stoke remaining embers. Fire Capt. Antoine McKnight noted another concern Thursday: Rattlesnakes were emerging as the ground cooled.
Fighting fires in the hills of Griffith Park is especially difficult because of the heavy brush and narrow, twisting roads that weren't designed to accommodate fire engines.
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