Blaze rips through Universal Studios
A BLAZE at Hollywood’s Universal Studios yesterday destroyed the iconic King Kong exhibit and the Back To The Future movie set.
The massive fire broke out just before dawn on a sound stage at the 400-acre site.
A building housing a vault of more than 40,000 videos and reels was also destroyed – though NBC Universal president Ron Meyer said duplicates are kept at another location.
A thick column of smoke rose thousands of feet into the air and helicopters swept in to drop water over the inferno. Four hundred firefighters battled to prevent the flames from spreading, and three were injured.
The fire was contained but was still raging last night, and the cause remained under investigation.
Los Angeles County fire inspector Daryl Jacobs said at least one building had burned and as many as three blocks of movie facades were destroyed.
Two mock New York and New England streets and tourist displays were “a total loss”, he said.
Another fire inspector, Frank Garrido, said the studio’s theme park and popular City Walk shopping centre would be re-opened. But tours to the backlot, where the fire occurred, had been cancelled.
Universal has been the home of numerous movies over its long history in Hollywood, including horror films and classic blockbusters such as Jaws and Back To The Future. Director Steven Spielberg houses his production company on the lot.
Scenes from several blockbuster films and television shows have been filmed at the studios, including War Of The Worlds, When Harry Met Sally and Scrubs.