Uni's Internal Update On Backlot Fire

From: Ron Meyer (NBC Universal)
Sent: Thursday, June 19, 2008 2:57 PM
To: NBC Universal Employee Communications (NBC Universal)
Subject: Universal Studios Backlot Fire UpdateDear Co-Worker,
 
It has already been a few weeks since our June 1 fire that turned into an event of global interest.  Many witnessed the fire first-hand, but if you didn’t, there was no shortage of information on TV, in newspapers and online.  As with most big stories, there are rumors, speculation and misinformation.  I’m sure a number of you have questions, and I’d like to try and clear up any confusion.
 
This fire was an unfortunate accident caused by some routine roofing work being performed on a back lot facade on New York Street.  The fire burned most of New York Street, the King Kong attraction, our video vault and some of Courthouse Square.  Due to the quick response and hard work of the firefighters, and to the fact that Station 51 is located right on our back lot, the fire was contained to less than 1% of our property. 
 
Although our video vault was destroyed, losing thousands of tapes and hundreds of duplicate film prints that we are now in the process of recreating, the vault in which we store our library of films was untouched. The teams are still assessing what was lost and what may have been salvaged, but we do know there will be minimal long-term impact on what we do, as our company has taken film preservation very seriously and adhered to a policy of geographically separating elements that ensure our film and video legacy can continue.
 
The press has repeatedly reported that Universal's water system was inadequate.  This was not the case.  In fact, at a recent press conference organized by the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Chief Michael Freeman stated unequivocally that Universal had sufficient water capacity to handle the fire.  We are working in partnership with LA County Fire, as we have always done, and the Department of Building and Safety, to rebuild and to continue to put fire safety at the forefront of everything we do here on our lot.  The safety of our employees, guests and clients is, and always will be, our first priority.
 
We are focused on bringing back our historic back lot tour, developing a replacement for King Kong and rebuilding New York Street.  I will keep you posted as we progress.  Lastly, I want to recognize Jim Watters and the entire operations team for the intense dedication they have shown over the last couple weeks.

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5 Comments »

  1. What a crock of shit from Meyer!
    Typical “Cover your ass” crap!
    Chief Freeman specifically blamed the fire suppression system.

    From the LA Daily News just five days ago:

    “Studio’s fire plan a failure
    Officials blame flammable sets, low water pressure for three-alarm blaze
    By Troy Anderson, Staff Writer
    Article Last Updated: 06/13/2008 09:51:05 PM PDT

    The failure of a fire-suppression system installed at Universal Studios after a 1990 fire was one of the main contributing causes to the severity of the recent inferno at the movie back lot, Los Angeles County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman said Friday.

    The other major causes included a studio lot that was built with combustible materials that were located close together and a loss of water pressure at key moments, Freeman said as he released a 42-page report analyzing the causes and response to the blaze.

    The report found that the studio has sufficient water capacity to handle fires, but the failure of the “deluge system” of water lines running along movie set rafters - installed following a 1990 fire - drew down the available water supply, leaving the first fire engines at the scene without sufficient water capacity.

    The report said this system proved ineffective and contributed to water loss when the facades fell and the lines snapped.

    Freeman said the deluge system was installed specifically to address problems with the vulnerability of the facades.

    “Obviously, there were problems with that,” he said. “It did not stop this fire. It did not slow the fire down and that will be changed as we work to rebuild these sets.

    “What also created the problem was the arrangement and the amount of fuel in the facades, in the sets and in and around the back-lot areas.” “

    Comment by Unindicted Co-conspirator — June 19, 2008 @ 7:36 pm

  2. Hey, Co-conspirator. Unless you’ve read the 40-plus page report (which I have) you should STFU and consider not believing everything you read in the media.

    Comment by Leeroy S Jenkins — June 20, 2008 @ 4:10 am

  3. So Leeroy, I guess you don’t believe anything Nikki writes either?

    But then your real name is Ron Meyer or one of his flacks.

    LADN was directly quoting the LACFD chief, there was nothing later from either the LACFD or NBC/Uni to indicate there was an error in that reporting until Meyer & the flacks concocted their bullshit PR to counter it.

    Comment by Unindicted Co-conspirator — June 20, 2008 @ 10:43 am

  4. “The teams are still assessing what was lost”

    there was a lot of film in the so-called “video vault” - i’m guessing that there were some negatives there, perhaps in the process of being shipped to labs or deep storage, but of course Universal will keep that hush-hush.

    Comment by ron westin — June 20, 2008 @ 12:56 pm

  5. What has been irretrievably lost? Will they ever have to release an inventory? They’re a public company. Also, won’t they have to file insurance claims and provide detailed lists for that?

    Comment by Mike Cane — June 20, 2008 @ 4:16 pm

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