Universal blaze blamed on blowtorch

by Leah Zanolla
Jun 3, 2008

The cause of the weekend blaze at Universal Hollywood Studios is being blamed on a blowtorch being used by roofers.

The crew had used the torch to heat asphalt tiles while working on the roof of a movie set. Upon completing the job at 3:00am, they remained onsite for one hour and left to take a break. A security guard spotted the blaze at 4:43am.

Lost in the fire was the King Kong attraction, Back to the Future's courthouse square and a street scene featured in Spider Man 2 and Transformers. Additionally up to 50,000 videos, including every film made by Universal, were consumed by the blaze. Universal CEO Ron Meyer has stated that they have duplicates of the films which were lost.

When the theme park reopened on Monday, tourists reported a heavy smell of smoke. As the tram passed firefighters who remained on the site, visitors applauded their efforts in saving the studio.

The tram quickly passed the scene of the fire, but a platform provided a view of the extensive damage. Stage Manager Ismael Garza commented "It's sad for Hollywood."

Universal plans on rebuilding the New York streetscape and has announced that King Kong will be replaced by a new attraction.

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• Last Updated: Feb 8, 2012 - 9:40:38 AM