AP News, August 10th, 2007
A fire on the set of "Rome," a completed HBO series on the ancient empire, has damaged part of the famed Cinecitta film studios. No one was reported injured.
The blaze, which started late Thursday, burned through about 32,000 square feet, firefighters said. The sprawling complex on the outskirts of Rome covers more than 715,000 square yards, including buildings, gardens, movie sets and offices.
Officials said the site where the fire broke out contained a large amount of highly flammable, synthetic material. The cause of the fire wasn't clear, but officials ruled out arson.
The main set of "Rome," which includes a mock Roman forum, wasn't destroyed, but other parts were heavily damaged, said HBO spokeswoman Mara Mikialian. She said shooting of the second season had already been completed.
It took dozens of firefighters about three hours to put out the blaze, which sent columns of thick smoke high into the sky.
The fire didn't affect the historic part of the 70-year-old studio, which houses the sets of classics such as "Ben-Hur."
Cinecitta, on the southern outskirts of Rome, was built by Fascist dictator Benito Mussolini in 1937. Over the decades, it has been used for about 1,000 productions by directors such as Federico Fellini and Vittorio De Sica.
Hollywood directors came to Cinecitta in the 1950s for movies including "Ben-Hur" and "Quo Vadis." More recently, Martin Scorsese used the studios to shoot "Gangs of New York," starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Daniel Day-Lewis.
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