On the morning of June 1st a large fire broke out on the back lot of Universal Studios Hollywood. Many structures were destroyed including the sound stage which housed the Studio Tour’s King Kong attraction. Universal has sent out this statement on the fire:
As you may have heard, there was a major fire early Sunday morning at Universal Studios in Los Angeles. Fortunately, no NBC Universal employees were hurt, although some firefighters sustained minor injuries.
While the Universal Studios Hollywood and CityWalk were closed to the public on Sunday to allow firefighters appropriate access, the MTV Movie Awards were held as planned in the Gibson Amphitheater at CityWalk Sunday evening. The theme park and CityWalk will be open for normal operations Monday morning beginning at 10am.
The fire was contained to one section of the backlot. Unfortunately New York Street and the King Kong attraction were lost, but the iconic courthouse on Courthouse Square and half of the buildings facing the square were saved. Also affected was a video vault containing thousands of video and digital copies of films and TV shows. Although many of these items were lost, we believe that most, if not all, are replaceable. It is important to note as well that none of the 30 soundstages on the lot were damaged.
You can view photos of the fire at WestCoaster and at AOL News.
