2008 Universal Studios fire
2008 fire that destroyed media archives / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
On June 1, 2008, a fire broke out on the backlot of Universal Studios Hollywood, an American movie studio and theme park in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles County, California, United States.
Date | June 1, 2008; 16 years ago (2008-06-01) |
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Location | Universal Studios Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California, United States |
Cause | Heated asphalt shingle |
Outcome | Destruction of three acres of Universal backlot, King Kong Encounter, original master tapes for popular music, and digital TV and movie backups |
Deaths | 0 |
Non-fatal injuries | 17 |
The fire began when a worker used a blowtorch to warm shingles.[1][2] He left before checking that all spots had cooled, and a three-alarm fire broke out.
Nine firefighters and a Los Angeles County sheriff's deputy sustained minor injuries. The fire ended after 12 hours.
Universal Pictures said that the fire destroyed a three-acre (1.2 ha) portion of the Universal backlot, including the ride King Kong Encounter and 40,000 to 50,000 archived digital video and movie copies.
A 2019 New York Times article said that the fire also destroyed 118,000 to 175,000 audio master tapes belonging to Universal Music Group (UMG).[3] This included original recordings belonging to some of the best-selling artists worldwide.[4]