California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vowed on Friday to restore greenery in the center of Los Angeles after a brush fire swept the area.

Accompanied by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, the governor strolled through the scorched hillsides at the Griffith Park, saying the urban park's verdant greenery would flourish once again on 817 acres (368 hectares) of blackened park land.

Schwarzenegger said that efforts to prevent landslides will be part of a 50-million-dollar emergency repair plan over the next decade.

Schwarzenegger said he was disheartened to see the charred remains of the park, where he filmed three of the "Terminator" movies.

"To see those great, same places where we were, where we filmed, destroyed was very hard to take," Schwarzenegger said.

The Griffith Park fire broke out around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday just east of the Hollywood sign in the Hollywood Hills. Fanned by winds of roughly 10 mph (16 kph) amid high temperatures, it quickly raced into thick, tinder-dry brush, eventually spreading over 817 acres (368 hectares), authorities said.

"Extinguishing this blaze required valiant efforts and precise execution," Villaraigosa said. "Wednesday night was perilous. The winds surged and so did the flames. We were staring catastrophe in the face, but our firefighters held their ground."

Authorities said the fire may have been started by a homeless man who fell asleep smoking a cigarette.

The Los Angeles Department of Animal Services warned that the blaze would have "a major impact" on wildlife in the area.

Source: Xinhua