Griffith brush fire extinguished

A brush fire that broke out late afternoon Monday in Griffith Park, near the Los Angeles Zoo, was extinguished in 68 minutes by 74 firefighters, including five helicopters.

The fire was reported at 4:57 p.m. in the northeast corner of Griffith Park near the Golden State (5) and Ventura (134) freeways, said Devin Gales of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

Flames would have had to leap across a major road to threaten the zoo, Gales said.

Mild temperatures and winds no stronger than 8 mph helped firefighters get the upper hand, Gales said.

Traffic was rerouted from Zoo Drive to free the street for firefighting equipment and personnel.

While most of the firefighters were released, a few remained behind to deal with hot spots in the medium to heavy brush.