LOS ANGELES (AP) - The wildfire that has ravaged a national forest near Los Angeles has burned one plant species that authorities are happy to see go: marijuana.

The fire destroyed an untold number of marijuana plantations in the Angeles National Forest, a growing hub for pot-growing operations in California.

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lt. Phil Abner says three marijuana cultivation areas identified just before the fire are believed to have burned and many more are assumed to have been destroyed.

Officials don't know how many plants were in the three areas. Because marijuana is grown in a hodgepodge style and the plants are concealed by tall brush, it is hard to gauge from helicopters the size of each grove.

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