A fire rages out of control at the backlot filled with movie sets at Universal Studios in Universal City, California 12 miles from downtown Los Angeles June 1, 2008. Hundreds of firefighters are battling a large blaze that broke out on Sunday on a back lot at Universal Studios, site of movie and television production, a spokesman for a neighboring fire department said. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    LOS ANGELES, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Investigators concluded on Monday that the blaze at Universal Studios' back lot was sparked by studio workers who were repairing a New York street scape.

    Meanwhile, the theme park reopened after the massive fire forced it to close on Sunday.

    The fire, which started Sunday morning, was ignited by repairing tools used by workers who are veteran Universal employees, the Los Angeles Times said, quoting sources close to the investigation.

    It appeared the workers followed all protocols to prevent fire, the report said.

    Los Angeles County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman said earlier that the fast-moving fire was an accident.

    "The investigation has ruled out any deliberate actions on the part of anyone," Freeman said.

    Studio spokesman Eliot Sekular said no filming was going on when the fire broke out.

    Nine firefighters and a sheriff's deputy suffered minor injuries in the towering inferno which burned for more than 12 hours.

    The flames destroyed huge chunks of movie history including sound stages and much of the New York City streetscape used for exterior shots. It also burned through the building that housed a mechanical King Kong that delighted tourists on the popular backlot ride, and gutted a video warehouse.

    At the large warehouse, videos of films going back to the 1920s were destroyed, but everything inside the video vault was a copy of material stored elsewhere, and "nothing precious was lost" said Ron Meyer, president of Universal Studios.

    Film negatives and other priceless materials were stored in underground buildings several hundred yards from the fire, he said.

Huge fire shuts down Hollywood's Universal Studios

    LOS ANGELES, June 1 (Xinhua) -- A huge fire hit Hollywood's Universal Studios in Los Angeles on Sunday, destroying several stage sets and shutting down the famous movie theme park for the entire day.

    The massive fire, which broke out early Sunday morning at the park's lower backlot, has destroyed a video warehouse and some stage sets, including much of the famed New York City streetscape.   Full story

Massive fire at Universal Studios burns movie sets

    LOS ANGELES, June 1 (Xinhua) -- A massive fire at Universal Studios Sunday destroyed much of the New York City streetscape and other movie sets, causing tens of millions of dollars worth of damage, but no injuries were immediately reported.

    Four hours after the fire was reported in a sound stage early in the morning in the studio-theme park northwest of downtown Los Angeles, firefighters said flames were continuing to leap from a large warehouse in the facility. Full story

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