Reports over the weekend (Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Sydney Morning Herald, BBC) about the fire at Universal Studios in Los Angeles which has destroyed a variety of sets and parts of the backstage tour. This is an occupational hazard for studios, with recent fires at Cinecitta in Rome in 2007, at Pinewood near London in 2006, and at Warner Roadshow Movie World Studios on the Gold Coast in 2004.
(Image from Sydney Morning Herald story 2 June 08, collage of agency images)
The fire started in the New York street set (which had burnt down in a fire in 1990), spread to Courthouse Square (which has featured in countless films including Back to the Future)
and moved on to destroy the King Kong building. The fire also incinerated some of the studio’s archive – though Universal says only digital copies were destroyed, and there are duplicates of all films lost.
Great quote in the Hollywood Reporter story from the wonderfully named LA city councillor Tom LaBonge who said “It looked like a bomb had exploded in the San Fernando Valley”.
Soundless footage from the BBC shows the extent of the fire. Buildings collapse, and a burnt out bus is visible at one point.
Video of LA County Fire Department chief on the fire here.
Universal President Ron Meyer responds - video here. Note use of split screen, with Pres on one side and video of the fire on the other, produces some perhaps unfortunate juxtapositions, as when Pres says “I want to be clear here, the theme park will open at noon”, just as close up shots of the roof collapse appear in the videostream next to him. Not particularly reassuring.
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