'Westworld' Set Destroyed as Paramount Ranch Burns in California Wildfire

The historic Western town area at Paramount Ranch in Agoura Hills, California, which has served as [...]

By Allison Schonter

The historic Western town area at Paramount Ranch in Agoura Hills, California, which has served as the set for productions such as Westworld, has been destroyed in the Woolsey fire, the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area announced Friday.

The news was announced via the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area Twitter account, which stated that the popular filming location had been severely affected by the fire.

"We are sorry to share the news that the #WoolseyFire has burned Western Town at #ParamountRanch in Agoura. We do not have any details or photos, but it is our understanding that the structures have burned. This area is an active part of the incident and we cannot access it," the tweet read.

The Western town served as the set of Westworld's Main Street scenes. The popular HBO series also filmed at a church that was built on the ranch. Representatives for HBO told The Hollywood Reporter that they are currently waiting to learn how bad the damage to the set is and to find out if any of its sets survived the fire.

Los Angeles-area photojournalist and video journalist for KCBS 2 shared images of the Woolsey fire's impact on the filming location, showing several structures completely destroyed. The church used for filming appears to be unaffected at this time.

Paramount Ranch's Western town, first started in 1927, has been used in a number of productions throughout the years, including films American Sniper, Norbit, The Love Bug, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer as well as TV series The Mentalist, Weeds, and Quickdraw. From 1992 to 1997, Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman was filmed at the location.

The main sets for the HBO series, including the central town of Sweetwater featuring the Mariposa Saloon and the train stop, have not been affected, as those are located Melody Ranch in Santa Clarita.

Westworld is not the only series to be impacted by the Woolsey fire, which has grown to over 14,000 acres since it started yesterday. Comedy Central's Drunk History has temporarily suspended production due to the fires, Derek Waters announced, stating that "love my job but I love my crew more. this ain't funny. Be safe everyone and save the animals."

comedy-central-drunk-history-woosley-fire
(Photo: Instagram / @dw34)

The Woolsey fire, which started in Simi Valley near the Rocketdyne facility in the Santa Susana Pass, according to ABC 7, is currently affecting Los Angeles and Ventura counties and is now threatening Malibu.

Some 88,000 residents have been evacuated as a result, including celebrities, and a state of emergency in Los Angeles and Ventura counties has been declared.

Photo credit: HBO

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