Fire-hit Universal Studios opens

It took several hours for firefighters to quell the flames on Sunday

The world-famous Universal Studios in Los Angeles, California, has re-opened to visitors, a day after a fire tore through sets and exhibits.

Hundreds of people streamed into the movie studio's theme park as the gates opened a day after firefighters had doused the fire at the 400-acre site.

The fire also damaged a library of videos and film reels.

A fire official said three workers using heating tools had accidentally caused the blaze.

Los Angeles County fire chief Michael Freeman said the three had been working on the roof of a building facade.

They had stood watch for an hour before leaving the site, but a security guard reported the fire about 45 minutes later.

On the studios' first tram tour of the day, damage from the fire was clearly evident and the smell of smoke hung in the air.

A guide thanked firefighters for their work in battling the flames.

Black smoke

A King Kong exhibit and sets from the films Back to the Future and Bruce Almighty were among the attractions destroyed.

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The fire raged for several hours before being contained

However, the head of Universal Studios, Ron Meyer, said the studios had duplicates of everything lost in the video library, and that the main vault containing motion picture negatives had not been affected.

The blaze began before dawn on Sunday on a sound stage featuring New York facades.

Helicopters were called in to drop water on the flames, which spread rapidly and produced thick clouds of black smoke.

Hundreds of firefighters also worked on the ground to tackle the fire. Several were injured as they struggled to bring it under control.

Air quality tests were carried out amid concerns that people living nearby might be harmed by noxious fumes.

Behind-the-scenes tours of the studios are a long-established tradition popular with visitors.