2008 Universal Studios fire facts for kids
The Courthouse facade is visible to the left of the smoke plume from the 2008 fire
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| Date | June 1, 2008 |
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| Location | Universal Studios Hollywood, Los Angeles County, California |
| 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 |
On June 1, 2008, a big fire started at Universal Studios Hollywood. This is a famous movie studio and theme park. It is located in the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California.
The fire began when a worker was using a special tool called a blowtorch. He was warming up roof shingles. The worker left without making sure everything was cool. Soon after, a large fire broke out.
The fire lasted for 12 hours. Nine firefighters and one sheriff's deputy got minor injuries. No one died in the fire.
Contents
What the Fire Damaged
The fire destroyed a large part of the Universal Studios backlot. A backlot is an outdoor area used for filming movies and TV shows. About three acres of land were burned.
King Kong Ride Destroyed
The fire also destroyed the popular King Kong Encounter ride. This was a big attraction at the theme park. Many visitors enjoyed this ride.
Lost Music and Movie Files
Universal Pictures said the fire ruined many digital copies. Between 40,000 and 50,000 archived digital video and movie copies were lost. These were important backups of films and TV shows.
Later, in 2019, The New York Times reported more bad news. The fire also destroyed a huge number of music master tapes. These were between 118,000 and 175,000 original recordings. They belonged to Universal Music Group (UMG).
These master tapes held the original sounds of many famous artists. Losing them meant losing unique recordings. These recordings cannot be replaced.
Artists Affected by the Fire
Many well-known music artists had their original recordings destroyed. This included some of the biggest names in music history. The fire caused a huge loss for the music world.
Some of the artists whose master recordings were lost include:
- 50 Cent
- Aerosmith
- Louis Armstrong
- Chuck Berry
- Mary J. Blige
- Blink-182
- James Brown
- Jimmy Buffett
- The Carpenters
- Ray Charles
- Cher
- Eric Clapton
- Patsy Cline
- Joe Cocker
- John Coltrane
- Counting Crows
- Bing Crosby
- Sheryl Crow
- Neil Diamond
- Bo Diddley
- Fats Domino
- The Eagles
- Duke Ellington
- Eminem
- Ella Fitzgerald
- John Fogerty
- Aretha Franklin
- Judy Garland
- Dizzy Gillespie
- Al Green
- Guns N' Roses
- Buddy Guy
- Merle Haggard
- Billie Holiday
- Buddy Holly
- John Lee Hooker
- Howlin' Wolf
- Janet Jackson
- Etta James
- Elton John
- George Jones
- Quincy Jones
- Tom Jones
- B.B. King
- Gladys Knight & the Pips
- Patti LaBelle
- Brenda Lee
- Peggy Lee
- Jerry Lee Lewis
- Limp Bizkit
- Little Richard
- Loretta Lynn
- Lynyrd Skynyrd
- Bob Marley
- Meat Loaf
- John Mellencamp
- Charles Mingus
- Joni Mitchell
- The Moody Blues
- Willie Nelson
- Ricky Nelson
- Olivia Newton-John
- Nine Inch Nails
- Nirvana
- No Doubt
- The O'Jays
- Dolly Parton
- Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
- The Police
- Iggy Pop
- Billy Preston
- Queen Latifah
- R.E.M.
- Buddy Rich
- The Roots
- Leon Russell
- Tupac Shakur
- The Simpsons
- Frank Sinatra
- Snoop Dogg
- Sonny & Cher
- Soundgarden
- Dusty Springfield
- Steely Dan
- Gwen Stefani
- Cat Stevens
- Sting
- George Strait
- Sublime
- Supertramp
- Koko Taylor
- B.J. Thomas
- Three Dog Night
- Mel Tormé
- Conway Twitty
- Bobby Vinton
- Joe Walsh
- Muddy Waters
- Weezer
- Barry White
- Whitesnake
- The Who
- Roger Williams
- Johnny Winter
- Bobby Womack
- Neil Young
More artists were later added to this list in 2020. These included And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, David Baerwald, Michael McDonald, and Slayer.
See also
In Spanish: Incendio de Universal Studios de 2008 para niños
