The last image from the webcam shows plenty of smoke {Mt. Wilson Tower Cam 1:49pm PDT}

Update (Tuesday 9:00pm PDT): Most of the danger has passed.

Update (Tuesday 2:30pm PDT): Three days later and Mt. Wilson is still fighting back. The mountain’s webserver was recently knocked out by firefighters clearing flammables on the ground. Things don’t look good on the Mt. Wilson Towercam’s final image , but the smoke is from backburning on the north side. The situation has stabilized somewhat today and the main threat is only coming from one side. Firefighters have returned to the summit:

Firefighters are setting backfires on the drought-stricken north side of Mt. Wilson to reduce the risk of flames and protect the observatory and communications towers atop the 5,700-foot peak.

Earlier today, wind-fueled flames were beginning to move the very flank now being back-burned.

“Their goal is to blacken the edges and reduce the chances that fire will rush the facilities. They are also increasing their defensible space,” said U.S. Forest Service spokesman Ray Dombroski.

The so-called “Station Fire” is only 5% contained and could potentially burn in a path toward the famed Mt. Wilson:

Firefighters are also keeping an eye on Mt. Wilson, which is six to eight miles east of the fire. “That’s several days out. It gives us an opportunity to prepare and defend the Mt. Wilson site,” said L.A. County Fire Department Deputy Chief Jim Powers, an incident commander. {L.A. Times Blog}

Apart from pristine wilderness and spectacular views of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, Mt. Wilson antenna site is home to 13 FM radio antennas and all L.A. TV antennas, plus crucial communications relays. At an average antenna height of 6,000 feet above sea level, 5,500 feet above metropolitan Los Angeles, and 3000 feet above average terrain, this is a superpower site, with typical coverage footprints of 5,000 square miles. The television stations here also have incredible reach because of the height of the site, along with very high effective radiated powers.

NBC Los Angeles has added insight:

Loss of communications facilities there would cripple fire and police departments across Southern California, which not only use mountaintop transmitters to communicate in the field but in many cases relay signals from other mountaintop sites back to dispatch centers via microwave facilities that are now threatened.

“There are extremely-crucial to the infrastructure and public safety protection, and the daily lives in the L.A. basin,” Dietrich said.

Nearly all of the 22 Los Angeles TV stations transmit from those sites, and more than two-thirds of the region’s FM radio stations broadcast from there as well.

“If Mount Wilson goes out, this news conference is done, because we won’t have any telecommunications,” Powers said.

Regardless, a Google Map designed to help the public track the fire has been set up by the L.A. Times. For whatever reason, Mt. Wilson is depicted by a volcano – exactly what we don’t want to see.

Initial fire map (8/29)

Current fire map (9/1)

Mt. Wilson at night during better times {voiceguy82}

Unfortunately, the area will be closed to the public for some time.