Arson Suspected at Madonna’s Childhood Home
Police suspect that this bridge to Madonna’s past didn’t burn all by itself.
Authorities are investigating the possiblity of arson in a Friday-night blaze that heavily damaged a Detroit-area home where the pop icon spent some of her formative years.
According to fire officials, the two-story brick house sustained major fire and smoke damage throughout. The current owners were not at home, and no injuries were reported. A passerby who spotted flames inside called the fire department at about 8 p.m.
“We brought it under control in about 10 minutes,” Rochester Hills Fire Chief Ron Crowell told the Detroit Free Press. “There was significant loss.”
Meanwhile, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Department said that the fire, which appears to have started in the living room, is being considered suspicious and police and fire officials are investigating.
Madonna was born in Bay City and grew up in Pontiac and Rochester Hills before heading off to the University of Michigan to study dance and then to New York to take on the world.
Officials Rule Universal Studios Fire an Accident
Accidents do happen, some more destructive than others.
Los Angeles fire officials have determined that the blaze that tore through the Universal Studios backlot yesterday morning was set off accidentally by workers making repairs to one of the sets.
“The investigation has ruled out any deliberate actions on the part of anyone,” L.A. County Fire Chief P. Michael Freeman said at a news conference Monday.
Two workers and a supervisor were using a blowtorch to apply asphalt shingles to the roof of a building on the New York/New Jersey street set, Freeman said. Following protocol, the men waited about an hour after finishing up and, when they saw no signs of fire, they took a break at 4 a.m.
“At 4:43, a security guard in the vicinity of the backlot…noticed the fire and immediately notified the fire department,” Freeman said. “At approximately the same time, the workers returned to the location and also witnessed the fire and confirmed with the security guard that the fire department had been notified.”
Nine firefighters and a sheriff’s deputy suffered minor injuries. The fire destroyed most of the New York City street, sets used in films such as Back to the Future, Bruce Almighty and To Kill a Mockingbird; a warehouse containing more than 40,000 videos (all of which exist in copies elsewhere, officials said) and the King Kong portion of the Universal Studios tram ride.
Reports have also pegged the rapid spread of the fire, which covered an area the size of two city blocks at one point, on a taxed water-pressue system at the site.
“Obviously it was not effective at preventing the spread of the fire,” Freeman said.
L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky said an interdepartmental assessment team has been established to investigate.
“Was there an infrastructure, mechanical or human error problem, or a combination, or none of the above?” Yaroslavsky said. “It has a lot of implications for this fire and other fires.”
Meanwhile, the 2008 MTV Movie Awards and red carpet festivities went on as scheduled yesterday afternoon at the nearby Gibson Amphitheatre, while Universal Studios and the adjacent CityWalk entertainment district reopened today.
L.A. Fire Torches Universal Studios Back Lot, Back to the Future Courthouse Square Set
Spooky Update 2: Several readers have pointed out that posted a “Save the Clock Tower” item just days ago. I’m not saying that one of you should start a Wikipedia entry elaborating on the “effect,” but…
Faux Update: A DeLorean was not seen exiting the premises mid-flight as the blaze began.
Developing: Early this Sunday morning, a fire broke out across the back lot of Universal Studios in Los Angeles, torching several blocks of movie sets and tens of thousands of archived video tapes. Of note, the famous clock tower from Back to the Future (right) is said to have been damaged by the blaze, while the courthouse square set from the film has been reported destroyed. The cause of the fire is under investigation. From the AP…
A large fire tore through a back lot at Universal Studios early Sunday, destroying a set from ”Back to the Future,” the King Kong exhibit and thousands of videos and reels in a vault. The blaze broke out on a sound stage at the theme park in a set featuring New York brownstones facades around 4:30 a.m. at the 400-acre property, Los Angeles County Fire Chief Michael Freeman said. The fire was contained to the lot but still burning several hours later.
Roughly 40,000 to 50,000 videos and reels were in the video vault, but there are duplicates stored in a different location, said Ron Meyer, NBC Universal president and chief operating officer. Firefighters managed to recover hundreds of those titles from the vault.
”Nothing is lost forever,” Meyer said.
Thankfully, no injuries have been reported at this time. Apparently, some Miami Vice tapes weren’t so lucky. At least three fireman have been reported injured, none critically. The park reopened today at noon. Click here to watch the epic blaze on YouTube.