Roof work accidentally sparked Universal fire

The massive fire that swept through a back lot of Universal Studios on the weekend was an accident sparked by workers on a film set, fire officials said Monday afternoon.

The workers in question had been using a blowtorch to heat asphalt shingles to adhere them to the roof of a building façade, according to Los Angeles County fire Chief Michael Freeman.

Completing the job at about 3 a.m. local time on Sunday, the workers followed the standard protocol of standing watch for one hour afterwards before leaving on a break, he added.

A security guard subsequently noticed a fire had started and reported it at 4:43 a.m., Freeman said.

The early-morning fire swept across and burned down a streetscape depicting New York brownstone apartments before expanding to engulf a King Kong attraction, a courthouse square set used in films like Back to the Future and To Kill a Mockingbird, a video library and another streetscape depicted in movies such as Transformers and Spider-Man 2.

Officials also said that low water pressure — which forced firefighters to tap lakes and ponds on the Universal Studios property — was an issue in battling the fire, which burned for more than 12 hours.

However, because the fire was contained to a back lot, the working studio and theme park was able to reopen to the public on Monday even as some firefighters remained to monitor hot spots.

Universal representatives said it would take several more days to assess the total damage.