Workers accidentally started studio fire in Hollywood

Source: Agencies  |   2008-6-3  |     ONLINE EDITION

WORKERS using a blowtorch on the roof of a movie set building facade at Universal Studios accidentally set a huge fire that swept through the back lot, fire officials said in California.

Workers had been using a blowtorch to heat asphalt shingles to apply to the roof early Sunday, said Los Angeles County Fire Chief Michael Freeman. They finished about 3am and followed policy of standing watch for one hour, then left for a break, he said yesterday.

A security guard spotted the fire and reported it at 4:43am, Freeman said.

The fire erupted on a streetscape featuring New York brownstone facades at the 400-acre (160-hectare) 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 blaze also 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.

The theme park reopened Monday, giving tourists a view of real-life disaster in the make-believe world of Hollywood.

The smell of smoke hung in the air as guests streamed in when the gates reopened and 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 rose from thick, twisted piles of girders.

"We were a bit shocked," said Danish tourist Morten Jull, 20. "We were like, can this be?"

The pass by the fire scene was brief. The tram also drove by undamaged sights, including sound stages, the "Jurassic Park" area where dinosaurs spray water at visitors, the Bates Motel from "Psycho" and Wisteria Lane, scene of TV's "Desperate Housewives."

Later, on a viewing platform overlooking the back lot, several people surveyed the destruction. "It's sad for Hollywood," said Ismael Garza, 53, a stage manager.