Officials with Mount Wilson Observatory reported last night that the Eaton Fire, which reached the top of Mount Wilson, the broadcast hub for Los Angeles, on Thursday now “seems to be under control.”
Prior to the announcement last night, TV Tech sister brand Radio World spoke with Doug Irwin, iHeart’s Los Angeles engineering lead, who monitored the situation all day Thursday as the fire suddenly jumped from Altadena. Irwin said late Thursday afternoon local time that the fire has not impacted any of the stations that transmit from the summit. From observing cameras, he believes the fire made it to the edge of the service road but did not cross it as of that time.
The summit has been without power since Tuesday as part of an area-wide temporary shutoff, Irwin said. His main concern was ensuring generator fuel refills can be conducted, as the service road had been closed. However, he expected it to reopen Thursday evening.
Thursday night at 7:55 p.m., a tweet on Mt. Wilson’s X feed announced that the Eaton Fire is now “under control”:
We are relieved to report that the flare-up of the Eaton Fire near the Observatory seems to be under control for now. We are grateful to firefighters & mountain staff for their dedication to keeping the mountain safe. We will monitor the situation as things can change quickly. pic.twitter.com/mNi84JfCecJanuary 10, 2025
KTLA’s live webcam captured the frightening scene Thursday afternoon as the Eaton fire spread toward one of the summit’s towers. Both KTLA on its TV feed and KNX on its radio feeds mentioned that their over-the-air signals could be affected.
Mount Wilson is home to nearly every Class B FM signal serving L.A.; 21 FM signals in all broadcast from there. The 5,700-foot peak is also home to the Mount Wilson Observatory and Park. In addition, TV stations KCBS, KNBC, KTLA, KABC, KCAL, KTTV, KCOP, KMEX, KVEA and KDOC use the site.
The summit is no stranger to fires, including the Bobcat fire in 2020.
The Eaton fire that started on Tuesday has claimed five lives and consumed 10,600 acres so far, according to Cal Fire. As of Thursday Evening it remained 0% contained but winds had lightened earlier in the day. Forecasters are worried weather conditions may support another strong Santa Ana wind event Monday night into Tuesday.
On the radio, Audacy’s KNX (AM/FM) and iHeart’s KFI (AM) have been anchoring continuous coverage since the fires started with the Palisades Fire on Monday morning.
FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel commented on the fires yesterday afternoon.
“Our hearts remain with everyone impacted by the wildfires ravaging Los Angeles County and the first responders answering the call during this time of emergency,” she said. “While communications impacts are minimal so far, the FCC will continue to monitor how these sets of wildfires are affecting residents’ ability to receive the information they need to stay safe. Should conditions change, the agency stands ready to support in any way it can, including any requests to deploy FCC staff to help with any communications network recovery.”
In addition, the Broadcasters Foundation of America said on Thursday that it is offering financial assistance to those in the industry impacted by the fires.
This article initially appeared in TV Tech sister brand Radio World.
