A fire broke out at the Atlanta studios belonging to film maker Tyler Perry last night. The blaze happened in the back section of the studio lot, but there were no injuries or fatalities.
A fire broke out at the Atlanta studios belonging to film maker Tyler Perry last night. The blaze happened in the back section of the studio lot, but there were no injuries or fatalities. REUTERS/Steve Marcus

A fire broke out at the Atlanta studios belonging to film maker Tyler Perry last night. The blaze happened in the back section of the studio lot, but there were no injuries or fatalities.

It was all in flames, Dorothy Ware, who lives in an apartment next door told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The building started popping. Whatever the fire was hitting, was blowing up. There were plenty of sparks coming over here where we are.

We are grateful that there were no injuries and that 99 percent of the damage is limited to the back lot facade, a statement from the studio said.

The studio is used to film Perry's famous Madea franchise and was only opened four years ago. Perry named the section that burned 34th street, as in Miracle on 34th street. Perry was at the studio yesterday after the fire, but did not talk to reporters.

Mr. Perry wishes to express his heartfelt thanks to the Atlanta fire department for their professionalism in their quick response and limiting the damage, the studio said.

The fire department does not yet know the cause of the fire. The studio sits on 60 acres of land and cost millions of dollars to build. Because the studio is broken up into different sections, the over 100 fire fighters that responded to the four-alarm blaze were able to keep it contained to the back area.

The studio contains a 200,000-square-foot studio, five sound stages, a 400-seat theater, a chapel, dining hall, gymnasium, a five-acre pond and an art department, where sets for shows are designed.