Surrounded by years of undergrowth and tinder-dry conditions, the Mt. Wilson Observatory—considered by many to be the birthplace of modern-day astronomy—would be little more than kindling if wildfire should rear its ugly head.

That’s the gist of what fire officials told Mt. Wilson stakeholders in March, less than six months before the ravenous Station Fire roared through the Angeles National Forest, threatening the historic observatory and nearby broadcast transmitters, according to the Los Angeles Times.

It wasn’t that they didn’t listen. In fact, the stakeholders quickly formed a nonprofit—the Mt. Wilson Fire Safe Council—and managed to score $200,000 in grants to help reduce fire risk. Fire, however, came more quickly than the check.

When the flames of the station fire started to creep nearer to the observatory, staff began to despair, Director Harold McAlister told Science. Not only is the observatory home to past examples of telescopic grandeur, but it also houses the Infrared Spatial Interferometer and a six-telescope optical/infrared array that produce “a lot of exciting science,” he said.

Although, the observatory has spent about $250,000 in tree thinning, has a water tank and pump, and gives employees some limited training in firefighting techniques, those measures are more for containing local, isolated fires, McAlister told the Times.

In the face of a beast like the Station Fire, the observatory had to rely on the dedication and expertise of firefighters, who McAlister said “worked like demons” to save the place. Fire crews lit backfires, cleared undergrowth, and doused the area in fire retardant gel to stave off the blaze. In the end, their efforts were rewarded and the fire narrowly missed the mountain.

Now, like a phoenix from the flames, initial efforts to keep Mt. Wilson fire-free have emerged stronger than before.

“This whole episode has clearly shown how vulnerable Mt. Wilson is, and we do need to come up with a plan to not make us a sitting duck up here," McAlister told the Times.

That plan could soon include a fire buffer of either concrete or fire-resistant vegetation around the perimeter of the complex, according to the Times. Although more costly than the measures originally planned, one thing the Station Fire did well is smoke out the promise of financial support—including possible federal funds.

"Having successfully dodged the bullet, we need to redouble our efforts," Rep. David Dreier told the Times. “I'm committed to doing anything we possibly can to have the buffer.”