Posted: Sun Jun 01, 2008 7:51 am Post subject: Universal Studios on Fire....Backlot Portions Destroyed
Truly Sad...
I'm not a fan of Universal like I am Disney....but as a fan of film and pretty much anything historical, this is truly sad. King Kong's Set which was part of the Backlot tram tour has been entirely destroyed and even more devastating is the loss of 2/3rds (so far) of the Film Vault where some of the original Celluloid film reels were kept.
By GREG RISLING, Associated Press Writer 36 minutes ago
UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - A massive fire raged on a back lot at Universal Studios early Sunday, devouring several movie sets, including mock New York and New England streets. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
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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. Though the fire was contained, it was still raging, Jacobs said.
"The facades are constructed of heavy timber and they tend to burn quite freely," he said.
The blaze broke out just before dawn on a sound stage, fire Capt. Frank Reynoso said. A thick column of smoke rose thousands of feet into the air. For a time, firefighting helicopters swept in to drop water.
More than 100 firefighters were trying to prevent the flames from spreading to nearby brush, Reynoso said.
Universal Studios spokesman Elliot Sekuler said the theme park would open Sunday, though the studio tour would be affected by the blaze. He said filming was going on when it broke out, but had few other details about the fire.
Filming might have been going on at the time the fire broke out and there was at least one explosion, Reynoso said.
Universal Studios is located nine miles north of downtown Los Angeles that has thrill rides and a back lot where movies and television shows are filmed.
Some of the more familiar attractions on the back lot are the clock tower from the "Back To The Future" movies and the house featured in "Psycho." _________________
when I lived in California, I was 2 blocks from Universal. Used to have passes there, too. When friends came in town...it was Disneyland and Universal visits. Spent a lot of time at both parks.
I just hope the films in the film vault were spared.
this is a shame... But they could "rebuild it, better than it was". in the 70's it would have been about 6 million. no idea what inflation would have done to that estimate...
The Hill Valley Square where the Famous Clocktower from Back to the Future stood was Destroyed...The Clock Tower itself has been badly Damaged along with the Diner that was used in Back to the Future I and II, the Sting, and most recently Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull....
A blowtorch is the culprit...doesn't Wall-E have one of those?
UNIVERSAL CITY, California (AP) -- A massive blaze that destroyed part of the back lot at Universal Studios was accidentally ignited by workers using a blowtorch on the roof of a movie set building facade, fire officials said.
Workers had been using the blowtorch early Sunday to heat asphalt shingles to apply to the roof, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Michael Freeman said Monday. They finished around 3 a.m. and followed policy of standing watch for one hour, then left for a break, he said.
A security guard spotted the fire and reported it at 4:43 a.m., Freeman said.
The fire erupted on a streetscape featuring New York brownstone facades at the 400-acre property. It then destroyed a King Kong attraction, the courthouse square from "Back to the Future" and a streetscape featured in "Spider-Man 2" and "Transformers."
The theme park reopened Monday, giving tourists a view of the fake streetscape that went up in real flames, and authorities promised to investigate reports that firefighters were hindered by low water pressure. VideoWatch fire officials comb through fire debris »
Freeman suggested the problem may have been due to the volume of water -- 18,000 gallons a minute at the peak -- that was poured on the flames. He said the studio's water systems were up to current county code. iReport.com: See Universal Studios after the fire
The low water pressure forced firefighters to tap lakes and ponds at Universal, which is a working studio as well as a theme park.
Universal lies in county territory, straddling a pass through the hills between Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley. It operates and maintains its own water system, which is fed by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. But the city's involvement stops at Universal's property line.
"We had adequate water supply feeding their system and were in fact asked by the Fire Department to attempt to increase water pressure and we did so," DWP spokesman Joe Ramallo said.
The blaze burned for more than 12 hours but was contained to the back lot. It gutted a building housing 40,000 to 50,000 videos, but Universal Studios President and Chief Operating Officer Ron Meyer said there were duplicates of everything.
Nine firefighters and a sheriff's deputy suffered minor injuries. None of the 30 sound stages on the lot was damaged, and the New York streetscape will be rebuilt, studio spokeswoman Cindy Gardner said.
That meant the fire was "not disastrous for the overall industry," said Jack Kyser, chief economist at the Los Angeles Economic Development Corp. Sound stages are in high demand by producers and are expensive to build, he said.
Use of the New York streetscape was often at full capacity, though it was not in use when the fire broke out, Gardner said.
The smell of smoke hung in the air Monday as tourists on the park's tram ride applauded firefighters as they drove past. At least a dozen fire trucks remained on the lot as smoke continued to rise from thick, twisted piles of girders.
"We were a bit shocked," said Danish tourist Morten Jull, 20. "We were like, can this be?"
Another fire at Universal Studios in November 1990 caused $25 million in damage and was started by a security guard who was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to arson. After that fire, the New York streetscape was rebuilt in three months.
Joined: Feb 21, 2006 Posts: 4196 Location: Sanford, Fl
Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 3:33 pm Post subject:
Universal Studios Hollywood reopens Courthouse Square
OK, this isn't about our Orlando parks, but a friendly show of support to Universal Studios Hollywood, still recovering from its disastrous fire last year. The Associated Press reported on the grand re-opening of the "Back to the Future" town-square set at the end of last week. The AP says:
Universal Studios staged a homecoming for Courthouse Square.
The outdoor set, best known as the town square from the “Back to the Future” films, welcomed the first backstage tour tram Thursday since it was destroyed a year ago when a fire ripped through the back lot. Roofers using a blowtorch accidentally started the blaze, which also destroyed the King Kong attraction, a video vault and other outdoor sets.
Stilt walkers dressed as hippies, members of the University of Southern California marching band and actors portraying such characters as Eddie Murphy's Nutty Professor and Doc Brown from the “Back to the Future” films emerged from the courthouse during a ceremony to welcome the first tram, which was christened with a bottle of champagne.
Construction crews are still busy working on Courthouse Square, which in addition to a courthouse also features small-town facades portraying such locales as a firehouse, police station and antique store. The outdoor set has been featured in such films as “To Kill a Mockingbird,” “Gremlins,” “Bruce Almighty,” “Amistad” and the TV show “Ghost Whisperer.”
“This is the first time since the fires that guests will be able to experience the backlot street sets of Universal Studios,” Universal Studios Hollywood President Larry Kurzweil said at the ceremony. “They're really just seeing the beginning with the Courthouse Square reopening. It's like chapters unfolding in a book. Each chapter unveils a new story.”
New adjacent exterior sets — including New York, London and modern streetscapes — are also under construction and scheduled to open in spring 2010. A new 3-D King Kong attraction based on Peter Jackson's 2005 film is slated to swing onto the tour in summer 2010.
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