An early morning fire at Universal Studios destroyed the King Kong attraction and several movie sets, including the courthouse square from “Back to the Future”.

A video vault holding 40,000 to 50,000 reels and videos was also damaged, but NBC Universal President and Chief Operating Officer Ron Meyer said there were duplicates at another location.

The fire started at 4:45 am, Pacific time, and quickly passed the three alarm phase.

About 100 firefighters are working with the studio’s own crew to fight the blaze, he said. Helicopters were used at one point to drop water on the blaze.

One firefighter suffered unspecified injuries.

Studio spokesman Eliot Sekuler said the rest of the park’s attractions, which includes thrill rides and memorabilia from various movies, would open Sunday.

A commercial shoot was going on when the fire broke out. An investigation will be launched to determine the fire’s cause, he said.

More updates will follow as soon as they are known.

More amazing pictures can be found at the Chicago Tribune.

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