A wildfire burning in the greater Los Angeles area has reached Mount Wilson, the location of dozens of transmission towers that blanket the region with radio and television signals.
Flames from the Eaton Fire reached the top of Mount Wilson around 11 a.m. Pacific Time (2 p.m. Eastern Time) on Thursday, according to live images broadcast by Los Angeles television station KTLA (Channel 5).
Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley was speaking with KTLA when the flames reached the transmission towers, and reassured the station and its viewers that fire officials were aware of the situation.
“I know, from the LA County side, that is an important infrastructure site” Crowley said. “With that, I’m sure they are very well aware of that, and they are going to address that as soon as they are capable of doing so.”
Live Video: Los Angeles TV broadcasters cover Southern California wildfires
The site is the location of television transmitters used by nearly all radio and television stations in the Los Angeles area, including KCBS-TV (Channel 2), KNBC (Channel 4), KTLA, KABC (Channel 7), KCAL (Channel 9), KTTV (Channel 11, Fox), KCOP (Channel 13), KMEX-DT (Channel 34, Univision), KVEA (Channel 52, Telemundo) and KDOC (Channel 56). Several radio stations, including KFI (640 AM) and KNX (1070 AM, 97.1 FM), also maintain transmitters at the site.
In a note on its website, KABC said the fire could impact the ability to receive its over-the-air signal in Los Angeles.
“If the fire compromises the site, which houses antennas and transmitters, that could affect your ability to watch the ABC7 Los Angeles Eyewitness News broadcast,” the station said, writing that viewers can still watch live newscasts via the ABC7 Los Angeles app for phones, tablets and smart TVs.
KNBC, KABC and KCBS/KCAL also stream their live newscasts via the Xumo Play app, which is available as a free download on major smart TV platforms like Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV (Google TV) and Apple TV. News broadcasts from KTTV are available to stream for free on Tubi, while KTLA offers newscasts through its own app called KTLA Plus.
The #EatonFire has reached Mt. Wilson, where transmitters for radio/TV broadcasters and emergency response agencies are located. [Video: KTLA] https://t.co/1cUC0vR6TH pic.twitter.com/V0yzJVP2Hv
— Matthew Keys (@MatthewKeysLive) January 9, 2025
