Fire half contained

The LAFD is calling the Griffith Park fire 50% encircled and some firefighters are being taken off the line. A little more than 800 acres have been blackened. Councilman Tom LaBonge, perhaps a bit overwrought watching his beloved park burn, said several times on television last night and today that the park was "destroyed," but he may end up wishing he had taken a breath before that exaggeration. He is also being quoted by City News Service as saying that this was the city's worst first since the disastrous 1961 Bel Air fire, but in that time there have been many more deadly and destructive fires in the city than last night's burn. I actually heard LaBonge, on TV last night and today, refer to the 1961 fire that scorched Beachwood Canyon and some of Griffith Park; perhaps he escalated the rhetoric during the day today, or perhaps CNS misunderstood and made the Bel-Air connection. In any case, the homeless man first suspected of setting the fire yesterday is no longer a criminal suspect. LAFD, Times

LAO video: On Jacob Soboroff's video from the fire scene this morning, LaBonge explains his personal connection to what has been lost in the park. Jacob also gets soaked by a copter drop and chats with LAPD chief Bratton and an LAFD captain. Remember, you can subscribe to Jacob's video reports with videographer Tommy Macker on iTunes. Native Intelligence