A nasty fire on the Universal Studios lot
was contained by mid-morning Sunday, and the MTV Movie Awards
were expected to proceed at the nearby Universal Amphitheater on
Sunday night.
Several soundstages were destroyed or damaged in the blaze. But execs said little production had been taking place on the stages.
A total of 400 firefighters from several Los Angeles-area fire departments were battling the blaze, said L.A. County Fire Inspector Sam Padilla, adding that three firefighters were being treated for minor injuries.
Padilla said the fire had been contained to a single structure, the "King Kong" exhibit, by 9 a.m. (1600 GMT) and he predicted the fire would be "knocked down" within hours.
"A total of five structures within the New York exhibit, including one soundstage, were lost," said another L.A. County fire inspector, Frank Garrido, who added that the blaze had started in the back-lot area depicting New York City, which was destroyed.
He said about three-quarters of a building housing a "King Kong" exhibit was destroyed. A building that holds a video vault of original and master versions of old movies had been destroyed and the vault itself had been "compromised."
Ron Meyer, the president of Universal Studios, said, however, that "nothing irreplaceable was lost" in the video vault.
The exact monetary damage had not yet been fully assessed.
Garrido said the studio's theme park and popular City Walk shopping center would be open on Sunday, although tours to the back lot, where the fire occurred, had been canceled.
Television coverage showed trucks with water cannons dousing flames from one soundstage, and smoke poured into the air causing a haze that blanketed parts of west Los Angeles and the Hollywood area.
Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Darryl Jacobs said the blaze was first reported around 4:45 a.m., but it was not immediately clear what started the fire.
Building facades meant to look like New York City were charred, and several acres on the 230-acre (93-hectare) back lot were burning at one point in the early morning hours.
Eliot Sekular, a spokesman for Universal Studios, said damage was confined mostly to the back lot of the studio where movies and TV shows are shot and not to the adjoining theme park.
Universal has been the home of numerous movies over its long history in Hollywood, including modern-day blockbusters such as "Jaws," "Back to the Future," and TV shows like ABC's "Desperate Housewives," and CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and "Ghost Whisperer."
Of the television productions filmed on the Universal Studios lot in Universal City, the only one that seems to have been affected by the fire is "Ghost Whisperer." According to a spokeswoman for CBS Paramount, the supernatural drama starring Jennifer Love Hewitt is not filming right now. "The show is currently on hiatus, and we will evaluate what damage [was done] to some of our exterior sets. However, this will not affect the Season 4 premiere," she wrote in an e-mail.
On KABC's "Eyewitness News," Ron Meyer, the president and chief operating officer of Universal Studios, said in an interview that of the eight locations "Ghost Whisperer" uses on the lot, the fire had affected two of them. "I'm sure they will find a way to adjust for it," he said.
Los Angeles County and city firefighters encountered some explosions from propane tanks as they fought the fire, and at one point firefighters ran into water pressure issues on parts of the studio lot, Jacobs said.
"There was an issue with water, but that has been rectified," he said. Helicopters had been brought in to drop water.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, whose district includes Universal City, said fire officials told him that unusually low water pressure had made the fight more difficult.
"They said the water was coming out of the hoses anemically," he said. "The water pressure is not what it should have been. It's enough of a wake-up call that we need to take another look."
Yaroslavsky said he has asked County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman to conduct an inquiry, and suggested that other major studios make sure their water systems can handle big fires.
Freeman said Universal had installed a large-scale sprinkler system after a 1990 blaze, but it didn't seem to work adequately today. Firefighters pulled water from ponds and lakes on the back lot. They also brought in a 6,000-gallon water tender.
Several soundstages were destroyed or damaged in the blaze. But execs said little production had been taking place on the stages.
A total of 400 firefighters from several Los Angeles-area fire departments were battling the blaze, said L.A. County Fire Inspector Sam Padilla, adding that three firefighters were being treated for minor injuries.
Padilla said the fire had been contained to a single structure, the "King Kong" exhibit, by 9 a.m. (1600 GMT) and he predicted the fire would be "knocked down" within hours.
"A total of five structures within the New York exhibit, including one soundstage, were lost," said another L.A. County fire inspector, Frank Garrido, who added that the blaze had started in the back-lot area depicting New York City, which was destroyed.
He said about three-quarters of a building housing a "King Kong" exhibit was destroyed. A building that holds a video vault of original and master versions of old movies had been destroyed and the vault itself had been "compromised.
Ron Meyer, the president of Universal Studios, said, however, that "nothing irreplaceable was lost" in the video vault.
The exact monetary damage had not yet been fully assessed.
Garrido said the studio's theme park and popular City Walk shopping center would be open on Sunday, although tours to the back lot, where the fire occurred, had been canceled.
Television coverage showed trucks with water cannons dousing flames from one soundstage, and smoke poured into the air causing a haze that blanketed parts of west Los Angeles and the Hollywood area.
Los Angeles County Fire Inspector Darryl Jacobs said the blaze was first reported around 4:45 a.m., but it was not immediately clear what started the fire.
Building facades meant to look like New York City were charred, and several acres on the 230-acre (93-hectare) back lot were burning at one point in the early morning hours.
Eliot Sekular, a spokesman for Universal Studios, said damage was confined mostly to the back lot of the studio where movies and TV shows are shot and not to the adjoining theme park.
Universal has been the home of numerous movies over its long history in Hollywood, including modern-day blockbusters such as "Jaws," "Back to the Future," and TV shows like ABC's "Desperate Housewives," and CBS' "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" and "Ghost Whisperer."
Of the television productions filmed on the Universal Studios lot in Universal City, the only one that seems to have been affected by the fire is "Ghost Whisperer." According to a spokeswoman for CBS Paramount, the supernatural drama starring Jennifer Love Hewitt is not filming right now. "The show is currently on hiatus, and we will evaluate what damage [was done] to some of our exterior sets. However, this will not affect the Season 4 premiere," she wrote in an e-mail.
On KABC's "Eyewitness News," Ron Meyer, the president and chief operating officer of Universal Studios, said in an interview that of the eight locations "Ghost Whisperer" uses on the lot, the fire had affected two of them. "I'm sure they will find a way to adjust for it," he said.
Los Angeles County and city firefighters encountered some explosions from propane tanks as they fought the fire, and at one point firefighters ran into water pressure issues on parts of the studio lot, Jacobs said.
"There was an issue with water, but that has been rectified," he said. Helicopters had been brought in to drop water.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, whose district includes Universal City, said fire officials told him that unusually low water pressure had made the fight more difficult.
"They said the water was coming out of the hoses anemically," he said. "The water pressure is not what it should have been. It's enough of a wake-up call that we need to take another look."
Yaroslavsky said he has asked County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman to conduct an inquiry, and suggested that other major studios make sure their water systems can handle big fires.
Freeman said Universal had installed a large-scale sprinkler system after a 1990 blaze, but it didn't seem to work adequately today. Firefighters pulled water from ponds and lakes on the back lot. They also brought in a 6,000-gallon water tender.
