Burbank Studios fire
Sept. 8, 1974: A movie set of fake brownstone structures burns on “Boston Street” at the Burbank Studios ranch. The set was a total loss. The multimillion-dollar fire destroyed three soundstages and four movie sets.
The Sunday morning fire occurred during a two-day community fair. Some of the rides, exhibition booths and several antique cars were destroyed. According to an Oct. 6, 1974, Times article, the cause was believed to be sparks from an electrical cord.
The site was formerly the Columbia Pictures ranch and became Burbank Studios after a merger of Columbia and Warner Bros.
This photo by retired Los Angeles Times staff photographer Boris Yaro was the lead image on Page 3 the next morning.
When Burbank Fire Department units arrived on the scene, according to Yaro, they first tried to hook up to hydrants that they quickly discovered were nonworking props. After the blaze, special markings were added to the real hydrants.
- Tags: From the Archives :: California :: Black & White :: News
2 Comments
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August 3, 2011, 8:36 pm
Maginficaent and sad at the same time
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February 22, 2012, 2:12 pm
I was at "the ranch" the day before – September 7th (a Saturday and my wife's birthday – we were celebrating as volunteers) and was serving as a walking tourguide of the backlot showing community members the various buildings and homes. I was a college student at Cal State Northridge at the time in an independent studies program supervised by management of The Burbank Studios. I was so very saddend by the loss of these buildings and part of the history of Columbia Pictures/Screen Gems and Warners Brothers pictures.
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