# Major fire at Universal Studios **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 1, 2008, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-fire-at-universal-studios/451380 "2008-06-01T15:41:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-fire-at-universal-studios/451380/1 "2008-06-01T15:41:40Z")
Story [here](http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/06/01/studio.fire/index.html). I saw live footage on BBC Television awhile ago, and it looks huge. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-fire-at-universal-studios/451380/2 "2008-06-01T17:34:52Z")
Firs is still burning [CNN story](http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/06/01/studio.fire/index.html) šŸ˜ƒ King Kong exhibit, and courthouse square from Back to the Future destroyed, film vault appears to be OK, but a video vault was destroyed. Wow. I saw some smoke on the horizon when I drove down to the Marina this AM, but I just saw the news. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-fire-at-universal-studios/451380/3 "2008-06-01T17:47:38Z")
Itā€™s made it to british TV news. Didnā€™t the pinewood studios James Bond stage burn down a few years ago? ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-fire-at-universal-studios/451380/4 "2008-06-01T19:21:16Z")
[Article](http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/us/AP-Studio-Fire.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin). 40,000 to 50,000 films lost in a vault. ---
**Author:** ![Antinor01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@Antinor01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antinor01)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-fire-at-universal-studios/451380/5 "2008-06-01T19:27:42Z")
[QUOTE=CNN article] ā€œFortunately, nothing irreplaceable was lost,ā€ said Ron Meyer, CEO of Universal Studios. ā€œThe video library was affected and damaged, but our main vault of our motion picture negatives was not.ā€ [/QUOTE] Well, thatā€™s good to hear. Whatā€™s a little scary is that I was thinking of going over to universal today. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-fire-at-universal-studios/451380/6 "2008-06-01T19:35:20Z")
[QUOTE=Antinor01] Well, thatā€™s good to hear. Whatā€™s a little scary is that I was thinking of going over to universal today. [/QUOTE] You could have filmed the whole thing and turned into a major motion picture. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-fire-at-universal-studios/451380/7 "2008-06-01T19:41:23Z")
it looked a huge fire this morning. quite the early morning alarm for the universal folks. imagine the 4 something in the morning phone call. ā€œyour backlots on fire, might want to cancel any tours out that way.ā€ ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Barchetta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@Red\_Barchetta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Barchetta)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-fire-at-universal-studios/451380/8 "2008-06-01T19:42:22Z")
Glad the theme park is mostly unharmed, since Iā€™m going in a few weeks. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-fire-at-universal-studios/451380/9 "2008-06-01T20:07:15Z")
Iā€™m glad the films werenā€™t irreplacable- a lot of original prints of MGM films were destroyed in a fire in 1967. But the loss of the BTTF clock tower set and the King Kong prop is saddening. Kong can probably be replaced, of course, but the clock tower is such an iconic movie setting. ---
**Author:** ![Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Enter\_the\_Flagon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enter_the_Flagon)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-fire-at-universal-studios/451380/10 "2008-06-01T20:07:25Z")
CNN says the fire destroyed areas such as New York Street and Courthouse Square, which have been used as street sets in hundreds of films and TV shows over the years. The good news is that these buildings are built for show, and donā€™t consist of very much more than decorated plywood facades. Rebuilding them should be a snap. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-fire-at-universal-studios/451380/11 "2008-06-01T20:15:06Z")
[QUOTE=Lobsang] Itā€™s made it to british TV news. [/QUOTE] I donā€™t know why. Itā€™s a typical brush fire. There will be more. Iā€™m over the hill. It makes biking and jogging hard on the lungs. They can put up those sets anywhere else they want. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-fire-at-universal-studios/451380/12 "2008-06-01T20:23:17Z")
[QUOTE=Red Barchetta] Glad the theme park is mostly unharmed, since Iā€™m going in a few weeks. [/QUOTE] Not many films are still shot there. Those sets make more money for the theme park than for the movie business. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-fire-at-universal-studios/451380/13 "2008-06-01T21:40:31Z")
Iā€™ve combined the threads in Cafe Society and MPSIMS. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2008, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-fire-at-universal-studios/451380/14 "2008-06-01T22:07:57Z")
[QUOTE=guizot] I donā€™t know why. Itā€™s a typical brush fire. There will be more. Iā€™m over the hill. It makes biking and jogging hard on the lungs. They can put up those sets anywhere else they want. [/QUOTE] Your fourth and fifth sentences constitute one of the most unusual non sequiturs Iā€™ve encountered since reading _Milkbottle H_. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-fire-at-universal-studios/451380/15 "2008-06-02T02:14:46Z")
[QUOTE=Enter the Flagon] CNN says the fire destroyed areas such as New York Street and Courthouse Square, which have been used as street sets in hundreds of films and TV shows over the years. The good news is that these buildings are built for show, and donā€™t consist of very much more than decorated plywood facades. Rebuilding them should be a snap. [/QUOTE] New York Street was rebuilt once before, after it was burned down in 1990. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-fire-at-universal-studios/451380/16 "2008-06-02T02:29:17Z")
[QUOTE=Cuckoorex] Your fourth and fifth sentences constitute one of the most unusual non sequiturs Iā€™ve encountered since reading _Milkbottle H_. [/QUOTE] I think he meant he lives just over the hill from the fire, and the smoke is affecting his lungs when he jogs. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-fire-at-universal-studios/451380/17 "2008-06-02T02:50:00Z")
Correction: although many fake buildings in Courthouse Square burned down, the iconic courthouse/clock tower itself suffered only minor damage. Thank goodness. I was afraid Marty would be stuck in the past forever. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 8:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-fire-at-universal-studios/451380/18 "2008-06-02T08:17:18Z")
Itā€™s now being reported that Universal Music rented space in the video vault. Thousands of ABC, MCA, and Decca master recordings have been lost forever. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-fire-at-universal-studios/451380/19 "2008-06-02T20:12:12Z")
It is now being reported the music masters were NOT destroyed- most of the masters had been moved out of the vault, and whatever ones remained had digital and hard-copy backups elsewhere. Thank God! ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-fire-at-universal-studios/451380/20 "2008-06-02T23:25:40Z")
[QUOTE=Cuckoorex] Your fourth and fifth sentences constitute one of the most unusual non sequiturs Iā€™ve encountered since reading _Milkbottle H_. [/QUOTE] ??? Iā€™m trying to say that itā€™s not all that important that some sets got burned down. More important to me is that the smoke just makes the usual smog all the worse. Maybe you thought ā€œIā€™m over the hillā€ to mean ā€œIā€™m getting on in years.ā€ It meant, in this case, ā€œI live over the hill from Universal Studios.ā€ Literally. Universal Studios is not in Hollywood. Itā€™s in Studio City. I live in East Hollywood. There is a hill between us. Specifically, the hill that has that sign on it (ā€œHOLLYWOODā€). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-fire-at-universal-studios/451380.md?page=2)