Schwarzenegger tours burned L.A. park

LOS ANGELES, May 10 (UPI) -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger toured the fire damage in Griffith Park in Los Angeles Friday and promised state aid for restoration.

The governor was accompanied by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Councilman Tom LaBonge, the Los Angeles Daily News reported.

Also Friday, officials met to discuss plans for the park, the Los Angeles Times said. The restoration plan was expected to include large-scale reseeding of burned areas because of the danger of mudslides in the winter rainy season.

Some environmentalists advocate allowing much of the park to regenerate naturally.

The fire began Tuesday and spread to more than 800 acres, threatening the Los Angeles Zoo, the merry-go-round and other park landmarks, along with an upscale neighborhood nearby. By Thursday, the wind had died down, helping the firefighting effort, and the fire was almost completely out.