Universal Studios Fire

A massive blaze that destroyed part of the back lot at Universal Studios was accidentally ignited by workers using a blowtorch on the roof of a movie set building facade, fire officials said.

Workers had been using the blowtorch early Sunday to heat asphalt shingles to apply to the roof, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Michael Freeman said Monday. They finished around 3 a.m. and followed policy of standing watch for one hour, then left for a break, he said.

A security guard spotted the fire and reported it at 4:43 a.m., Freeman said.

The fire erupted on a streetscape featuring New York brownstone facades at the 400-acre property. It then destroyed a King Kong attraction, the courthouse square from "Back to the Future" and a streetscape featured in "Spider-Man 2" and "Transformers."

The theme park reopened Monday, giving tourists a view of the fake streetscape that went up in real flames, and authorities promised to investigate reports that firefighters were hindered by low water pressure.

Freeman suggested the problem may have been due to the volume of water — 18,000 gallons a minute at the peak — that was poured on the flames. He said the studio's water systems were up to current county code.

You can find the link to it here: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5ieKlEB60J43hDZ39AB9VmsPZ72sgD912HMK00

Here is a video of it.