News: Update: Universal fire contained after ravaging lot

Posted at 3:58 AM EDT (0758 GMT)

Jun. 2nd, 2008 -- A fire blazed through the California park's back lot destroying a soundstage, sets and a film vault.

The fire consumed about two city blocks on the Universal property as a thick cloud of smoke rose thousands of feet into the California sky. Roughly 400 firefighters worked for more than 12 hours to contain the fire. In the process, Los Angeles County officials have said that several firefighters were injured when a pressurized cylinder exploded, in addition to other reports of injuries in the fire.

The fire broke out around 4:30 a.m. on along the road of the New York brownstone facades in the park's back lot. The fire was contained later that morning but still continued to burn into that afternoon.

NBC Universal spokeswoman Cindy Gardner stated that the blaze consumed the King Kong attraction, as well as numerous sets and backdrops for several popular TV shows, such as "House", "Monk", and "Crossing Jordan," as well as films such as "Bruce Almighty" and damaged the famous Courthouse Square set seen in "Back to the Future." The film vault that was damaged contained every film that Universal has ever produced, however the company has "duplicates of everything," as stated by Ron Meyer, president of NBC Universal.

Preliminary damage reports estimate financial costs to run into the multi-million dollar range. The source and cause of the fire is still under investigation. Despite the fire, the MTV Movie Awards show held in the nearby Gibson Amphitheater continued on as planned. 

"It looked like a disaster film," noted a Los Angeles city official when describing the situation.

For more information visit CNN.

Update 1: Universal Studios released an official FAQ regarding the current backlot fire situation.

1.  What happened at Universal on June 1? Very early morning on Sunday, June 1, there was a major fire at Universal Studios in Universal City, Ca.  The fire was contained to the studio backlot only. None of the theme park rides and attractions were impacted.

2.  How much of the studio was destroyed? The fire was contained to one section of the backlot.  Less than 1% of Universal’s 391 acres was affected. Sadly, New York Street and the King Kong attraction were lost, but the iconic courthouse on Courthouse Square and half of the buildings facing the square were saved.

3. Is Universal Studios Hollywood and CityWalk open for business? Universal Studios Hollywood, including the Studio Tour and CityWalk is open for business.

4. How will the guest experience be affected with loss of King Kong attraction and New York street sets?  There will be little impact to the guest experience since filming changes daily on the backlot. Every Studio Tour visit to the backlot is different.  Production will continue on the backlot and guests will continue to have an authentic working Hollywood experience.

5.  Will guests be able to see fire impacted areas? Yes, because of where the fire was situated on the backlot, it will be unavoidable to guests experiencing the Studio Tour.
     
6.  Is air quality safe? Air quality concerns have been assessed by multiple agencies conducting samplings of the entire Studio, theme park and CityWalk locations. The theme park and City Walk have been cleared for normal business operations.

7.  Will Universal Studios Hollywood offering any price reductions during this transition? Universal Studios Hollywood will continue to offer its guests access to thrilling rides and attractions including its newest virtual roller coaster adventure, The Simpsons Ride along with such popular attractions as Revenge of the Mummy roller coaster and Jurassic Park—The Ride.  Guests can visit our website at www.UniversalStudiosHollywood.com to take advantage of any regularly offered promotions.

Update 2: According to city officials, an investigation has determined that a blowtorch used by work men was the source of the fire that razed portions of the park's backlot.

Workers were constructing a roof for the facade of a movie set and finished around 3 a.m. Following procedure, they remained onsite for another hour and then left. A security guard noticed smoke and reported the fire at 4:43 a.m.

Difficulties with water pressure caused delay for firefighters working to put out the flames. To overcome this, they were forced to draw from lakes and ponds at the Studios.

Universal officials have said that there are plans to rebuild the New York streetscape, which itself previously had to be rebuilt after a fire destroyed the preceding screetscape in 1990. The park remained open on Monday.

For further information regarding the Universal Studios fire, visit AP.