L-A Radio: Charred Body Found At Mt. Wilson Fire Scene

A burned body was found in the Mt. Wilson area, but authorities could not yet confirm whether a fire still burning in the area was responsible for the death, officials said Thursday.

According to The LATimes, the body of a male was found Wednesday south of the parking lot at Mt. Wilson, and authorities have not confirmed his identity or the cause of death, said coroner's Lt. Kelly Yagerlener.

Sheriff’s detectives were called around 5 p.m. Wednesday and determined that the death was not due to a homicide, said Deputy Guillermina Saldana.

Firefighters still are trying to gain full control of a 50-acre blaze in the San Gabriel Mountains near Mt. Wilson before Santa Ana winds are expected to kick up Saturday, authorities said.

Faced with around 400 firefighters and six helicopters, the fire was 45% contained Thursday morning, said Angeles National Forest spokeswoman Seneca Smith.

Officials hope to fully contain the blaze by Saturday, when the National Weather Service predicts that moderate Santa Ana winds will move in and last through the weekend, Smith said.

More than two dozen antenna towers cluster on the peak of Mt. Wilson. Smith estimates that hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of communications equipment are at risk, including federal and county facilities used for emergency communications, commercial television facilities and radio transmitters. Damage to the communications towers could disrupt cellphones, television and radios, as well as interrupt some communications for emergency responders.

The fire, which ignited Tuesday below the Mt. Wilson Observatory parking lot, has threatened the historic observatory and more than two dozen antenna towers.


Investigators are trying to determine the cause of the fire, Smith said.