Los Angeles, California: More than 300 Los Angeles-area firefighters are battling a large fire Sunday on a back lot at Universal Studios, fire authorities said.
Filming may have been going on at the time the fire broke out early Sunday on the Universal Studios back lot.
A plume of gray smoke clouded the skies above Universal Studios more than three hours after the fire broke out early Sunday.
At least four or five structures were damaged or destroyed by the three-alarm blaze, a fire official told reporters on the scene.
The massive fire prompted officials to move back the studio theme park's opening time from 9 a.m. to noon PT (3 p.m. ET), a Los Angeles city councilman said.
The studio tour will be affected by the blaze, according to a statement from Eliot Sekuler, vice president of Universal Studios Hollywood.
The 2008 MTV Movie Awards, scheduled to be broadcast live from the park Sunday afternoon, will not be affected, an MTV representative said.
The blaze began around 4:45 a.m. PT (7:45 a.m. ET) Sunday. Two "prop" buildings, a chapel, and a popular ride called the "Cyclone" were among the damaged structures, according to Los Angeles County Fire Capt. Frank Reynoso.
Television footage showed the fire burning through the roofs of structures and continuing to blaze hours later.
"It will be awhile before we have it under control," Reynoso said.
Firefighters were attacking the large blaze by helicopters.
"We don't know what the cause of this is," Reynoso said.
There were reports of an explosion shortly after the fire broke out, he said.
Reynoso said he heard reports that filming may have been going on when the fire broke out.
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