$2.5-Million Fire Destroys Universal Studios Set, Snarls Freeway Traffic

Flames erupted on the back lot “Spartacus” set at Universal Studios in Universal City on Friday night, destroying the three-story structure as well as three adjacent buildings before being knocked down by Los Angeles County and City firefighters.

County fire officials said a bomb threat was telephoned to a nearby set, Studio 44, which was being evacuated at the time the fire broke out in “Spartacus Square,” where the 1960 Kirk Douglas movie was filmed.

The “Spartacus” set was not in use, however, and there were no injuries.

“We’re trying to determine if the two things (the threat and the fire) are connected,” Assistant County Fire Chief Ray Shackelford said soon after the flames were beaten down.

Four buildings were damaged in addition to the four that were destroyed. Shackelford estimated damage at $2.5 million, including structures and equipment.

Studio official Bill Decinces suggested the loss was actually much higher because the figures were based on values 10 years ago. “Any time you have a fire of this size,” he said, “it is a major loss.”

European Village Section

The fire erupted about 7:40 p.m. on the 60-by-200-foot set in the center of the studio’s old European Village section. It was reported contained a half hour later.

Arson investigators were dispatched quickly. “We are trying to figure out whether there was or was not a bomb,” said Sheriff’s Sgt. John Andrews.

County Firefighter Mark Wilson reported there apparently had been the threat of a second bomb or fire later in the evening.

County Fire Department Battalion Chief Gordon Pearson said the bomb reports may have started with the sound of “popping cans . . . part of the set.” He added, “We won’t be able to tell until we get into it.”

Studio spokeswoman Joan Bullard said she talked to a high studio official “and he didn’t say anything about a bomb.”

Studio security supervisor Nicholas De Luca said he was on patrol at the far side of the studio property when “I heard popping sounds. I drove this way. It was already fully involved.”

Seen From Freeway

At their height, flames were shooting hundreds of feet into the air to cause problems on the nearby Hollywood Freeway as motorists slowed to gaze.

The fire, however, was some distance from the Universal Amphitheater and cinemas, where evening shows went ahead without interruption.

As heavy layers of smoke covered the area, people working on film projects in other buildings were evacuated hastily.

Universal City, the 450-acre site that has become famed for its studio tours, is occupied by numerous sound stages and other structures as well as the headquarters of MCA Inc., the Amphitheater, the Sheraton-Universal Hotel and a 100,000-square-foot office complex.

The property is situated in a small patch of county territory, so 30 County Fire Department units made up the brunt of the force battling the blaze with assistance from 11 Los Angeles City units.

Wilson said some units were remaining at the scene for three or four hours to mop up and make certain the flames did not erupt again.