L.A. Fires Spare Cell Phone TowersL.A. Fires Spare Cell Phone Towers

The huge blaze threatening Mt. Wilson and the thicket of cell phone and broadcast towers on its summit abated briefly Wednesday after scores of firefighters battled the inferno with back fires. Lower temperatures and more moisture in the Southern California air also helped, officials said, but they warned that the danger had not passed.

Because of the importance of the towers and the historic observatory with which they share space, the Los Angeles County Fire Department has assigned special teams of firefighters to battle the blaze on Mt. Wilson. More than 150 firefighters and several engines were positioned at the peak to protect the towers.

The blaze -- called the Station Fire -- was also slowed by a huge drop of water released from a 747 tanker. Flames could be seen from the 5,700-foot Mt. Wilson summit, but some officials thought those fires might be back fires created by firefighters.

In addition to being the home of the famous Mt. Wilson Observatory, the towers on the top of the mountain provide cell phone service and radio/TV service for sections of Los Angeles and its suburbs. The American Tower Corp, which maintains seven towers in the Station Fire area, said the fire threatens to interfere with TV service that is delivered to consumers over antennas. Consumers who get their TV from satellite and cable providers are not immediately threatened.

Broadcasters and companies with facilities on Mt. Wilson have been making emergency plans in the fury of the inferno returns. American Tower is prepared to press nearby towers still out of the path of the Station Fire into service if the need arises. Broadcasters are reported to have backup transmitters at the ready.

Fire officials said the danger won't likely subside until September 15 and before that date, the dreaded Santa Ana winds could whip up the fire and spread it beyond the 190,000 acres already covered by the blaze. The winds have been quiet so far, but they normally roar through the Station Fire region at this time of year.

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