On Monday, March 12, 2007 at 2:15 PM, 33 Companies of Los Angeles Firefighters, 2 LAFD Rescue Ambulances, 1 Arson Unit, 4 Helicopters, 1 EMS Battalion Captain, 4 Battalion Chief Officer Command Teams, 1 Division Chief Officer Command Team, under the direction of Battalion Chief Mark Saxelby responded to a Brush Fire at Griffith Park in ATWATER VILLAGE.

Firefighters arrived quickly to discover a geographically treacherous area of Griffith Park with 3/4 of an acre of medium to heavy brush burning uphill in the direction of the famed Griffith Park Observatory. Due to the inaccessibility of ground crews, the Fire Department's aerial reconnaissance and command support airship flew into action and was soon joined by a trio of larger water-dropping LAFD helicopters, that commenced a synchronous aerial attack on the flames.

Due to the extreme weather conditions and low relative humidity, the Los Angeles Fire Department utilized pre-deployed resources to address the increased brush fire potential. The first seventy arriving Firefighters skillfully anchored the flames, working in concert with their airborne colleagues to limit fire spread. A structure protection group was also established and stood at the ready should the flames reach the beloved landmark in Griffith Park.

In spite of the presence of numerous spot fires, and largely due to the determined aircraft , the men and women of Los Angeles Fire Department were able to limit the flames to 10 acres and fully extinguish the blaze in just 2 hours 45 minutes. No structures were damaged. No evacuation was ordered at the Observatory as it was closed for business. A park ranger was transported to a nearby hospital with minor heat-related injuries.