The blaze threatened the observatory and communications infrastructure at the peak. Later, an observatory official said it appeared to be under control.

According to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, five people have died in the blaze that has moved through Pasadena, Altadena, and the Angeles National Forest.

Mt. Wilson has been threatened by numerous fires in recent years, such as the Bobcat fire in 2020. The Observatory, where Edwin Hubble spent his career and was visited by Albert Einstein, narrowly escaped the flames.