Crime & Safety More Details Released About Fire That Destroyed HBO Set: UPDATE Police said that about 20 vintage automobiles were destroyed as well as several pieces of film equipment. Reply A massive fire destroyed a used car dealership which was being used for filming an HBO miniseries. (Ellenville Fire Department) ELLENVILLE, NY — Ellenville police released more details about the massive fire that destroyed a car dealership which was the set of an HBO miniseries. Shortly before 1 a.m. Thursday, Ellenville police and fire personnel responded to a structure fire at 188 South Main St., the location of 613 Automotive in the Village of Ellenville. Upon arrival, officers said that the fire had spread rapidly, and the building was fully engulfed in flames, according to a release from the Ellenville police. Mutual aid from several other companies were called as Ellenville firefighters began battling the blaze. The fire was knocked down around 10 a.m. Route 209 was closed to all traffic from Oak Ridge Road to Center Street. The road remained closed until about 11:30 a.m. Police said the scene was turned over to the building inspector and police around 1 p.m. Authorities said the building was totally destroyed, along with about 20 vintage cars and multiple pieces of film equipment which was being used by a production company for HBO. The production being filmed was a miniseries called "I Know This Much Is True," starring Mark Ruffalo and Ulster County resident Melissa Leo, News 12 said. Police said families in three nearby residences had to be relocated as a result of the damage done by the fire. Fifteen fire departments from Ulster, Sullivan and Orange counties, along with the Department of Environmental Conservation, Ulster County Sheriff's Department, New York State Police in Ellenville, Ellenville Police, Ulster County Arson Task Force, Ellenville Water Department, Napanoch Ladies Auxilliary and the Ellenville Rescue Squad assisted at the scene. Ellenville Police Chief Philip S. Mattracion said that there were no firefighters, law enforcement officers or civilians injured during the operation to fight the fire.<doc-sep>ELLENVILLE – A massive fire early Thursday tore through an Ellenville used car dealership where an HBO TV production was being filmed. No one was hurt in the fire at the 613 Automotive Group at 188 South Main St., said Village of Ellenville Police Chief Phillip Mattracion. Ellenville police, the Ellenville building inspector, the Ulster County Arson Task Force and state police were among those investigating the fire's cause throughout the day Thursday. Mattracion confirmed that HBO had been using the dealership to film “I Know This Much Is True,” a TV miniseries slated for 2020, starring Mark Ruffalo, Melissa Leo, Juliette Lewis, Rosie O’Donnell and other notables. In the miniseries, Ruffalo plays middle-aged Dominick Birdsey, who recounts his troubled relationship with Thomas, his paranoid-schizophrenic twin brother, and efforts to get Thomas released from an asylum, according to the Internet Movie Database. An HBO security guard at the site swiftly called 911 after spotting the fire break out just before 1 a.m., a general manager for the dealership said. But the fire quickly ravaged the 10,650-square-foot steel-framed, cinder-block building, which featured a showroom, a repair garage and storage for autos and parts, Mattracion said. Mattracion surveyed the site Thursday, standing amid twisted steel beams, sooty cinder blocks, and the nearly indistinguishable remnants of charred HBO production trailers, grip trucks and film equipment. He described a giant orange glow, unrivaled heat, a fire that spread so fast that it was “beyond reason” and a blaze so big that “it was just unfathomable.” Authorities shut Route 209, from north to south, from Oak Ridge Road to Center Street in Ellenville, as the Ellenville Fire Department and 14 other departments from Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties battled the blaze for several hours, the chief said. The last hot spots were extinguished at 11 a.m. Thursday. HBO spokespeople said filming on the show "had concluded earlier in the evening ... the fire is currently under investigation," and "we expect to resume production shortly." A general manager for 613 Automotive Group said HBO employees were crying at the site on Thursday, they’d been working diligently for weeks, and “it’s not easy to see their hard work go up in flames.” The general manager released a statement on behalf of Levi Hecht, managing partner for the 613 Automotive Group, which has other dealerships in New Hampton and Monticello. The fire is “terrible and heart wrenching. This (auto dealership) is our job. We live it. We breathe it. It’s a business we’ve built up, and to see it burned down in just a few hours makes us very emotional. It’s a miracle and a blessing, and we thank god, no one was hurt … We do not know if we will rebuild. ... For now, we just want to thank the firefighters and police.” Built in 1965, the dealership was home to the Collier Motor Car Company, until it closed in 2009 amid GM's financial troubles at the time. 613 Automotive Group bought and reopened it around 2013, the dealership's general manager said. Brian Schug, Jr., the village’s building inspector, was not immediately able to check if the building had any code violations. But he confirmed that the fire badly damaged three nearby trailer homes for local residents. Mattracion said several antique cars on the site also were damaged, but it’s unclear how many. HBO had recruited local residents to use their vehicles. The dealership's general manager wasn't certain how many vehicles 613 Automotive Group lost, but some of its vehicles were inside a building being serviced during the fire. Mattracion commended local fire departments for extinguishing one of the biggest fires he's seen in 20 years. “The local fire departments here really did a yeoman’s job in attempting to save the structure,” Mattracion said. “They fought the fire gallantly and bravely, but the fire had spread so rapidly there was just no chance in saving it.” “One sad part here is that HBO Productions was filming at this location, and Ellenville was finally going Hollywood,” Mattracion added. “It’s also tragic to see the destruction of a building that’s been in Ellenville so long.” daxelrod@th-record.com<doc-sep>A fire destroyed a Hudson Valley auto dealership where HBO is filming a series starring “Avengers: Endgame" star Mark Ruffalo on Thursday morning. According to the Hudson Valley Post, roads had been closed by the Ellenville Police Department around the 613 Automotive Group in Ellenville for filming beginning at 1 a.m. on Thursday. Odom.TV shared a video of the massive blaze on Facebook: 2019-05-09 - Massive 3 ALRM Structure Fire on Movie Set/Auto Dealership in Ellenville, NY Type: Fire Description: On Thursday, May 9, 2019, around 1:00 am, a 3 alarm structure fire broke out at 613 Automotive in Ellenville, NY. This auto dealership was being used as a set for an upcoming HBO film. It is unclear as to what caused the fire. We will update this as the story progresses. Responding agencies include the Ellenville Fire Department, Napanoch Fire Department, Ghramsville Fire Department, the New York State Police, Ellenville Police Department, and several other state and local agencies. Location: 188 S Main St, Ellenville, NY 12428 Injuries: N/A Deaths: N/A Time: 1:00 am EST. HIPAA and the News Media: The law does not directly apply to the news media (unless a media employer acts as a health plan or healthcare provider – by offering onsite medical care, for example; or a reporter works for a publication that is covered – such as a hospital newsletter). (Source: PA News Media) Video Licensing: By purchasing any video license from Odom.TV you agree to acknowledge Odom.TV by placing a watermark on all videos you publish. You MUST place this watermark on all video licenses you purchase unless gaining explicit permission from an Odom.TV staff member. Image Licensing: You are NOT required to acknowledge Odom.TV if you purchase an image license. If you do so choose to acknowledge Odom.TV you may. NOTE: MOST VIDEOS COME WITH WATERMARKS ALREADY ON THEM Posted by Odom.TV on Thursday, May 9, 2019 The fire caused traffic delays in Ulster County on Thursday morning, but no injuries were reported. It was unclear what caused the fire, according to the Post. The dealership is a set for “I Know This Much is True,” an upcoming HBO series starring Ruffalo, who plays twin brothers. The series has been filming all over the Hudson valley. It also stars Melissa Leo, Archie Panjabi, Imogen Poots, Juliette Lewis and Rosie O’Donnell. ABC 7 reports that some antique cars were at the dealership at the time of the fire.<doc-sep>
ELLENVILLE – Fire investigators' preliminary findings indicate HBO’s equipment may have caused the fire that leveled an Ellenville used car dealership where an HBO TV miniseries was being filmed on Thursday, the village’s mayor said on Friday. Mayor Jeff Kaplan said early findings appear to show that one of HBO’s battery-charging stations, used for on-set equipment, caused the fire. The blaze tore through 613 Automotive Group at 188 South Main St. The miniseries, “I Know This Much Is True,” is slated for a 2020 release, and it stars Mark Ruffalo, Melissa Leo, Juliette Lewis, Rosie O’Donnell and other notables, according to the Internet Movie Database. A security guard hired by HBO called 911 after spotting the fire break out just before 1 a.m. Thursday, leading 15 Orange, Ulster and Sullivan county fire departments to respond to what quickly became a raging inferno. They battled it for hours. “There is an ongoing investigation as to what caused (the fire),” Kaplan said. “The preliminary report is that some mechanism that was being used in the filming overheated and sparked, and that’s what caused the flame.” The spark came from “something that was plugged into something like a charging station for some of their battery cells for outside, but that’s not a final determination,” Kaplan added. Efforts were unsuccessful on Friday to reach the Ulster County Division of Fire Investigation to confirm Kaplan's account. Kaplan said he’s been conferring with Village of Ellenville leaders, including the police chief and the building inspector. In a statement on Friday, HBO’s spokespeople said, “The cause of the fire is still unknown and is under investigation.” “We have temporarily suspended production and we expect to resume shortly,” they added. “Once the production is up and running, one of the locations we plan to shoot at is a local hospital.” Ellenville Police Chief Phillip Mattracion declined to confirm Kaplan’s account or offer a preliminary explanation for the fire. The chief said only that he’s waiting on the county’s fire investigators “to see what the final determination is,” and that he’s unsure how long the investigation will take. Thursday’s massive fire destroyed the 10,650-square-foot steel-framed, cinder-block auto dealership building, which featured a showroom, a repair garage and storage for autos and parts. Plus, the blaze took out at least 15 antique cars, Mattracion said, before adding that was just rough, low-end count. The cars were on site because HBO had solicited them from locals as props for scenes set in the past. A small, undetermined number of the dealership's vehicles also were lost. The site first became Collier’s car dealership in 1965 before closing in 2009. 613 Automotive Group, a local used auto dealership chain, bought and reopened it around 2013. daxelrod@th-record.com