Crews Use Hollywood Reservoir to Snuff Out Cahuenga Pass Fire

A fire ripped through grass and brush Tuesday afternoon in the Cahuenga Pass, scorching 18 acres.

Some 200 firefighters had to march up the hillside on foot to completely surround the blaze. Their biggest weapon was a trio of aircraft. To douse the flames, which burned on the east side of the northbound 101 freeway near the newly reopened John Anson Ford Theatres, aircraft sucked up water from the Hollywood Reservoir.

No structures were threatened, but there were voluntary evacuations at Holly Drive.

Here’s a beautiful, albeit a bit apocalyptic-looking, video of the the aerial crews in action:

The reservoir, which is ringed in a popular walking path, was built in 1924 by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power; its chief engineer was William Mulholland.