By PETER PRENGAMAN, Associated Press Writer

LOS ANGELES - A wildfire roared across brush-covered hills in the city’s sprawling Griffith Park on Tuesday, triggering evacuations of homes and some of the city’s most famous landmarks.

A wall of flames raced across ridges and jumped fire lines late in the evening as the fire drew closer to homes and the Griffith Observatory.

Hundreds of firefighters and five water-dropping helicopters rushed to Los Angeles’ landmark park - a mix of wilderness, cultural venues, horse and hiking trails and recreational facilities set on more than 4,000 acres on the hills between Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley.

Late Tuesday, authorities called for a mandatory evacuation of homes that sit along the park’s southern edge as the fire burned out of control after dusk.

Steve Yoo, who lives in the evacuation area, said he was able to pack his passport, wallet and some clothes into a duffel bag before leaving home.

“You need to evacuate, you need to evacuate your houses immediately,” a police officer said over a loudspeaker. “The fire is coming toward the neighborhood.

Rangers evacuated the park’s Vermont Canyon area, which includes the Los Angeles Zoo, two golf facilities, a merry-go-round and school, said Jane Kolb, a city Department of Recreation and Parks spokeswoman.

Fire Capt. Rex Vilaubi said the evacuations were voluntary and the areas were not in imminent danger of being overrun.

Authorities were investigating whether the fire broke out after a person discarded a cigarette at one of the park’s golf courses, a law enforcement official familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing.

The person tried to put out the fire but was badly burned and was taken to Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, the official said.

Nearly 2,000 customers were without power in the area around the mandatory evacuations, although Department of Water and Power officials said it was not immediately known whether the outage was related to the fire.

The blaze erupted on the second day of a heat spell. The National Weather Service said downtown hit 97 degrees, 23 degrees above normal, tying the record for the date.

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