Fire breaks out at Universal Studios backlot in Universal City

A fire broke out Thursday at the Universal Studios backlot.

The Los Angeles County Fire Department told The Times the blaze broke out around noon at a three-story building near the corner of Lankershim and Cahuenga boulevards in Universal City. The blaze was extinguished about a half-hour after it began. No injuries were reported to civilians or firefighters.

No other details were immediately available.

In 2008, a dramatic blaze destroyed portions of the same complex. Officials later determined it was accidentally touched off by company employees using a blowtorch to heat asphalt roofing shingles to go in an alley on the backlot's New York street set, authorities said. That blaze destroyed sets, a video library and the "King Kong" attraction.

-- Andrew Blankstein