Los Angeles City firemen watch as smoke rises from a brush fire in Griffith Park, Los Angeles May 8, 2007. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

    LOS ANGELES, May 8 (Xinhua) -- A wildfire was raging in the middle area of Los Angeles Tuesday night, charring bush-covered hills and forcing the evacuations of residents.

    The fire was threatening some of the city's famous landmarks near Hollywood, heart of the U.S. film industry, but there was no report of casualties, firefighters said.

    Hundreds of firefighters and five water-dropping helicopters rushed to scene -- the sprawling Griffith Park, which is 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.

    More than 200 residents have been evacuated as the fire went out of control. Fire Capt. Rex Vilaubi said the evacuations were voluntary and the areas were not in imminent danger of being overrun.

    The fire may have been intentionally set by a person who discarded a cigarrete at one of the park's golf courses, authorities said.

    The fire soon spread and became worse after nightfall. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa told Fox11 that around 300 acres and one structure was burned, but no structures were destroyed.

    "We evacuated the zoo, the golf course, the Gene Autry (Museum),the boys' camp, the observatory, the magnet school," Villaraigosa said. "As we know, we enjoy great weather, but one of the byproducts of that great weather is that fire season is here earlier than expected. As you know we've had a number of events where we've talked about the need for us to engage in fire safety."

    Villaraigosa said one person was detained and was being questioned by arson investigators. However, Villaraigosa and other officials would not definitively call the blaze an arson fire.

    "I can only tell you someone has been detained," Villaraigosa said.

    "The arson investigators are currently questioning that individual. ...There's no information at this point that this was arson-related, but there is an individual currently in the hospital."

    In 1933, the area was the site of one of nation's worst wildland firefighting tragedies, a blaze that killed 25 firefighters.

A Los Angeles City fireman sprays water from the roof of one of the houses threatened by a brush fire in Griffith Park, Los Angeles May 8, 2007. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

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