Workers using a blow torch to apply asphalt shingles to the roof of a building facade started the fire that burned a large area of the Universal Studios Hollywood back lot, fire officials said Monday.
A preliminary investigation has found that the fire that erupted about 4:30 a.m. Sunday was accidental, said Capt. Mike Brown on Monday.
They finished their work at about 3 a.m. and stood watch for an hour, according to company policy. Seeing no signs of a fire, they left the scene for a break, but a security guard in the vicinity noticed flames about 45 minutes later and called the fire department.
The fire began 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."
More than 400 firefighters battled the spectacular blaze that burned for more than 12 hours. It was contained to the back lot, which straddles a pass through the hills between Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley. Low water pressure forced firefighters to tap lakes and ponds at Universal, a working studio with streetscapes and sound stages as well as a theme park. About 25,000 tourists visit on a typical weekend day.
Damage estimates were expected to total millions of dollars. Another fire at Universal Studios in November 1990 caused 25 million U.S. dollars in damage and was started by a security guard who was sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to arson.
Universal Studios President and Chief Operating Officer Ron Meyer said the blaze also gutted a building housing an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 videos and reels in a video vault. But he said there are duplicates of everything stored at a different location. The videos included every film Universal has produced and footage from television series including "Miami Vice" and "I Love Lucy."
Source: Xinhua/Agencies
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