A historic observatory threatened by fire at the gates of Los Angeles

Firefighters were struggling Tuesday to contain a fire that had been ongoing for more than a week near Los Angeles, which on Tuesday threatened to engulf a historic observatory and expensive telecommunications towers built on the hills overlooking the Californian megalopolis.

The fire, dubbed the "Bobcat Fire", was no longer Tuesday morning about 150 meters from the 116-year-old Mount Wilson astronomical observatory, fire officials warned on Twitter, stressing that their teams on the ground, supported by air means, were preparing to face the blaze with the help of bulldozers.

According to officials at the observatory, all staff have already been evacuated.

Firefighters have been fighting the blaze since September 6, but it was only 3% contained, compared to 6% previously.

Los Angeles County Fire Department Captain David Dantic said the blaze, located about 25 kilometers northeast of downtown, had already covered more than 16,000 hectares.

According to a local radio station, the flames threaten not only the observatory but also telecommunications towers and their equipment costing more than a billion dollars.

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Many neighborhoods near the blazes were ordered to prepare for a possible evacuation, as authorities feared the destruction of some 80 historic cabins in the Los Angeles National Forest.

A total of 27 fires were still in progress across California.

They have killed more than twenty people since mid-August and mobilized more than 16,600 firefighters on Tuesday.

Forest fires of unprecedented magnitude are also ravaging the states of Washington, Oregon and Idaho, plunging the west coast of the United States into record pollution.