Officials have been concerned for years that a massive fire could race up Mt. Wilson and burn vital communications towers and the historic observatory.
In March, fire and forest officials met with representatives of Mt. Wilson's various groups to deliver a grim warning: Overgrown brush had not been cleared away in years, endangering the mountaintop in the event of a large blaze.
The groups responded to the issue, forming the nonprofit Mt. Wilson Fire Safe Council and securing $200,000 in grants for fire prevention work.
But when the Station fire began more than two weeks ago, the grant money had not yet arrived.
Firefighters waged a long battle against the advancing flames -- using hand crews and masticators, taking chain saws to low-hanging limbs of oak and pine, and launching an aerial assault that covered trees with fire-retardant gel and foam. At times, they felt the mountaintop would be overrun, and there were prayers for a change in weather and winds to help in the fight.
The fire came close, but left most of the vital structures atop Mt. Wilson intact.
Now that the immediate danger seems to have been averted, officials are considering much more drastic remedies, including a fire buffer zone around the perimeter.
Experts said the buffer could be either concrete or perhaps a greenbelt with plants that don't easily burn.
"This whole episode has clearly shown how vulnerable Mt. Wilson is, and we do need to come up with a plan to not make us a sitting duck up here," said Hal McAlister, director of the Mt. Wilson Observatory.
Others on Mt. Wilson agree, adding that the focus on improving fire protection has varied among the stations that have transmitters there.
Tony Neece, a transmitter engineer at KTLA-TV Channel 5, said some stations have good plans while others haven't had "the sense of urgency that should be applied to fire prevention up there. There needs to be. It's something we are attempting to do. There's just too much going on in the broadcast industry now."
Jon Keeley, a research scientist with the U.S. Geological Survey and an adjunct professor at UCLA, said constructing a major fire break around assets can be good protection.
