On June 1, 2008, an enormous fire at the Universal Studios Hollywood theme park in California destroyed a massive collection of irreplaceable recordings by some of the greatest musicians in American history.Nobody was seriously injured in the fire, but The New York Times referred to the disaster as "The Day the Music Burned." The Times estimated that between 120,000 and 175,000 master recordings were lost in the fire, which included songs by Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday and Judy Garland. Universal claimed the story exaggerated the number of recordings that were destroyed.The fire also destroyed a number of archived film copies, a set from "Back to the Future" and a popular King Kong-theme attraction. A new King Kong attraction opened at Universal in 2010. The three-alarm fire was started by maintenance workers who were repairing the roof of a building, using blowtorches to heat asphalt shingles. The workers left before making sure that the shingles had cooled off. A lawsuit was filed by musicians and estates against Universal, claiming the company had been negligent in protecting their recordings. The lawsuit was dismissed by a federal judge in 2020.

More than three dozen migrants have died in a fire at an immigration detention center in northern Mexico near the U.S. border, an official said Tuesday.Images from the scene showed rows of bodies lying under shimmery silver sheets outside the facility in Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas. Ambulances, firefighters and vans from the morgue could also be seen.Thirty-nine people died and 29 were injured in the fire, which broke out late Monday, according to an official with the National Immigration Institute, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the case.Ciudad Juarez is a major crossing point for migrants entering the United States. Its shelters are full of migrants waiting for opportunities to cross or who have requested asylum in the United States and are waiting out the process.Mexico’s attorney general’s office has launched an inquiry and has investigators at the scene, according to media reports.

DEER PARK, Texas (Video above: KTRK via Associated Press) —

Fire erupted at a petrochemical plant in the Houston area Friday, sending nine workers to a hospital and causing a huge plume of smoke visible for miles.

Emergency responders were called to help around 3 p.m. at the Shell facility in Deer Park, a suburb east of Houston. The city of Deer Park said in an advisory that there was no shelter-in-place order for residents.

Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said earlier in the day that five contracted employees were hospitalized for precautionary reasons, adding that they were not burned. He said they were taken to a hospital due to heat exhaustion and proximity to the fire.

Shell Deer Park officials said on Twitter Friday night that they were continuing to respond to the fire, all workers were accounted for and nine workers had been released after undergoing precautionary medical evaluations.

Nothing exploded, Gonzalez said, although the sheriff's office initially responded to emergency calls saying there was an explosion.

As of Friday evening, the fire was still burning but had died down and was contained, Gonzalez said.

The cause of the blaze was still being investigated. The fire started while the olefins unit was undergoing routine maintenance. Air monitoring for any impact from the fire was ongoing, and had not detected any harmful levels of chemicals, Shell Deer Park said.

"There is no danger to the nearby community," the post said.

The fire started at about 2:56 p.m. in the facility's olefins unit. The product that ignited includes cracked heavy gas oil, cracked light gas oil and gasoline, Shell Deer Park said.

“The cause of the fire will be the subject of a future investigation, and our immediate priorities remain the safety of people and the environment,” facility officials said.

Shell was conducting its own air quality monitoring, but the city has yet to receive an update, said Kaitlyn Bluejacket, a spokesperson for Deer Park.

The city was advised by Shell that there was no need at the time to shelter in place, but that the city would update residents if that changed, Bluejacket said.

Fire crews from the Deer Park facility and nearby plants responded.

Wind conditions were favorable for fighting the blaze, although temperatures soared to near 90 degrees Fahrenheit in the Houston area, but high humidity made it feeler hotter than 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

Harris County Fire Marshal Captain James Singleton said his office would be in Deer Park through the weekend investigating.

“You’re looking at a large number of people that need to be interviewed,” Singleton said. “Everyone who was at the unit at the time of the fire, the controllers, management, anybody that called 911."

Houston meteorologists said the smoke plumes were visible from space via satellite.

Facility fires are not uncommon in the area, with the strong presence of the petrochemical industry. In March, an explosion and a fire erupted at a facility owned by INEOS Phenol in nearby Pasadena, Texas, leaving one injured.

A fire in 2019 at a facility owned by Intercontinental Terminals Company burned for days and though it caused no injuries, it triggered air quality warnings.

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AP writer Lisa Baumann reported from Bellingham, Washington.

A woman who was pulled from a house fire in California Sunday morning has died, family told sister station KCRA 3 on Monday. She is credited by the family as the reason they were able to escape.

The house fire was sparked by an artificial Christmas tree around 2 a.m. Sunday. Investigators said an electrical short from the Christmas tree caused the fire, and the home did not have working smoke detectors.

Family identified the woman as 22-year-old Destiny Abdrazack.

Neighbors said they woke up to a loud sound and looked out the window.

"You could see the flickering light on the tree and that's kind of like the telltale sign of a fire," Richard Byers said.

He and his wife Brandy Byers ran three doors down and saw Abdrazack's family outside.

"They were screaming, 'Destiny! There's someone inside! There's someone inside!' There's nothing any of us could do," Brandy said.

Richard said he couldn't just stand there and watch the house burn. He grabbed a fire extinguisher while another neighbor used a garden hose. He said a family member was motioning to the front window.

"That's where I aimed my fire extinguisher, but the fire just came right back," Richard said. "It was too intense, moving too fast."

Ernest Isom, his wife, their son and his fiance and two other adults had fallen asleep celebrating Christmas Eve.

"Unfortunately, they wanted to keep the lights on until the last minute and we all happen to fall asleep and we had an instant, seconds to get out," Isom said. "It was fast, and that's how quick it went. I'm talking minutes."

The family lost everything, including two dogs. But Isom calls Abdrazack — she was his future daughter-in-law — a hero for her quick actions.

"Unfortunately, she was the one who yelled fire, and that's the sad part. She saved our lives," Isom said.

Loved ones have started a fundraiser for the family impacted by the fire.

Fire officials encourage people to check their batteries and make sure they are working.

Watch the video above for the full story.

CINCINNATI — A funeral home in West Price Hill has been leveled after a fire destroyed the structure Saturday morning.

Fire crews with the Cincinnati Fire Department responded to blaze around 7 a.m. at Meyer & Geiser Funeral home on 4989 Glenway Ave. At least 65 firefighters and 15 companies responded.

According to the fire department, the fire was difficult to battle because of the cold and how difficult it was for crews to access the flames.

Tom Lakamp, operations chief with Cincinnati Fire Department, said when fire crews arrived, there was heavy fire in the back of the building.

"We tried to make an interior attack from multiple sides and just kept getting pushed out by heat,' Lakamp said.

Lakamp said that is when the fire department shifted to an defensive attack.

The owner of the funeral home and two people who lived on the second floor were inside when the fire started.

The owner said he was working when the blaze broke out.

"He did a great job of getting everybody out of the building before we arrived," Lakamp said.

No one was injured in the fire, Lakamp said.

Lakamp said the building is a complete loss. The building is expected to be torn down sometime Saturday. No neighboring properties were damaged.

The fire department is asking people to avoid the area. Fire crews had to use a lot of water to battle the blaze and that water could freeze, causing for slippery conditions.

Lakamp also said the community should reach out and support the owner of the funeral home, along with the two people who lived on the second floor.

"You know, this business owner has been in this community for a really long time," Lakamp said.

Right now, there is no word on what started the fire.

FAIR OAKS, Calif. —

An elderly man said he was stuck inside his home during a garage fire Monday afternoon, as the flames inched closer and closer to him. Luckily, help was a stone's throw away.

Harold Kaler, 92, told sister station KCRA he was sitting in his electric reclining chair in a room right next to the garage in his home when a fire caused the power to go out, so Harold had no electricity to prop the chair back up.

"I would have just sat there. I couldn't get out of the chair,” Harold said.

But even if he could, Kaler’s mobility issues presented another problem. He usually uses a ramp in his garage to leave the house, which is owned by his son Bill Kaler. But it was soon engulfed in flames.

Harold noted that smoke was coming through the cracks on the door. Luckily, a familiar face stepped in to help. Harold’s next door neighbor Erik Bean said when another neighbor alerted him about the fire, he grabbed the fire extinguisher and ran right over.

Home surveillance video shows Bean making his way toward the house. He walked up the front steps and went through the front door.

“Luckily the door wasn’t locked,” Bean said. “Smoke was billowing into the garage and the door itself to the garage was glowing red.”

That is when Bean saw Harold lying down in his chair.

"I just came over, and helped him get out of his recliner, grabbed his walker and then we proceeded out of the house,” Bean said.

This all happened before Sacramento Metro Fire arrived to the scene. Bean is now being lauded for his quick action.

"I think that's very kind, but very overstated,” Bean said in response. “It was just the right thing to do. Now that I have a little time to reflect on it, I did put myself in personal harm or harm's way, but I would do it again."

Bill Kaler, Harold’s son and the homeowner, said he was not home at the time and is relieved Bean acted so quickly. He also said first responders were on scene a few minutes afterward.

“Erik is a really good friend and he keeps an eye on the place all the time,” Bill said. “The response of the fire department was just incredible.”

Harold said he is grateful to Erik for what he did.

"He got me up and got me out of the place, and I was really thankful for that,” Harold said.

Sacramento Metro Fire said they still have not determined the cause of the fire. Harold and Bill told KCRA that it will take about six to eight months to get everything cleaned and remodeled.

BALTIMORE —

Monday's fatal fire in southwest Baltimore shocked the city fire department and fire departments across the country as an investigation gets underway.

This investigation is personal for the federal, state and Baltimore City agents investigating the origin and cause of Monday's fire at a vacant rowhouse.

"It is a tragic loss for all of us because we are family and we lost a lot of family yesterday," Maryland State Fire Marshal Brian Geraci said. "There's a lot of damage to the structure. We may not be able to determine a cause."

City fire officials said the fire started around 6 a.m. and the building partially collapsed, trapping four firefighters inside. Three fire service members died, and a fourth remains hospitalized at Shock Trauma.

"We are all heartbroken," Geraci said.

Investigators went door to door in the neighborhood, searching for surveillance video that may help them figure out who entered and left the building. A specialized crew from Montgomery County shored up the structure so investigators could safely dig through the rubble.

"We know there is no power to the building. We know there is no electric in the building. So, those types of sources have been ruled out," Geraci said.

Investigators are also looking into a 2015 fire at the same location that left three firefighters injured. Investigators are looking for comparisons.

Sister station WBAL looked into who owns the vacant home and learned the property owners now live in Pennsylvania.

One of their relatives, Jeffery Shore, said: "It's sad three people lost their life because the city didn't do their job keeping squatters away. My relatives shouldn't have left the property abandoned."

"There must be a plan in place moving forward to prevent this from happening again," Geraci said.

City hall officials said the building will be torn down after the property is released from the investigation.

Baltimore City Fire Department spokeswoman Blair Adams said there is no policy in place regarding entering a known abandoned building to fight a fire, but she said there is always room for improvement.

Injured firefighter's condition improves

Fire officials updated the condition of the fourth Baltimore firefighter injured in Monday's fire and collapse at a vacant row home.

EMT/Firefighter John McMaster has been upgraded to fair condition and he is conscious and alert at Shock Trauma, Baltimore Fire Chief Niles Ford said.

Ford visited McMaster Tuesday.

"He was able to speak and we were able to talk to him. We prayed with him and we're very optimistic about his condition and him getting out of the hospital soon," Ford said.

A city mourns: Remembering Baltimore's bravest

Lt. Paul Butrim had been with the Baltimore Fire Department for more than 16 years. He started in 2005 as a firefighter and paramedic apprentice.

Firefighter/Paramedic Kenny Lacayo had been with the Baltimore Fire Department for seven years. He also worked with the Wheaton Volunteer Rescue Squad in Montgomery County, where he was named paramedic of the year in 2016.

Lacayo's father was overcome with grief while speaking about his son.

"I would like my son to be remembered as a son of a proud father, loving and caring, loved his community and the reason I say that is because he liked to help people," his father said.

Wheaton's Fire Chief Mark Dempsey also said Lacayo was a rising star in the Baltimore City Fire Department.

"He came to the rescue squad shortly after graduation and he flourished there. He became a firefighter became a paramedic was awarded paramedic of the year," Dempsey said.

Firefighter/Paramedic Kelsey Sadler had been with the Baltimore Fire Department for 15 years. She was in the same recruit class as a firefighter and paramedic trainee who died in a training accident in 2007. The recruits in that class were given the opportunity to leave; Sadler decided to continue on with her career.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan ordered flags across the state to be lowered to half-staff to honor Butrim, Sadler and Lacayo.

Watch the video above for the full story.