THE California wildfires that have forced the evacuation of more than a million people are also wreaking havoc on prime time shows filmed in the area.
Among the shows most affected by the fires were “24,” “Cold Case,” “Big Shots” and FX’s “The Riches,” according to The Hollywood Reporter.
“24” had been scheduled to film scenes featuring star Kiefer Sutherland at Marine Corps Air Station El Toro near Irvine on Monday and Tuesday. Sutherland was on the set in one of the base’s hangars when filming was canceled at 7:30 a.m. after the cast and crew began to suffer from blurry eyes, difficulty breathing and started coughing from the smoke.
Producers had to scramble to find actors on the show who had not been scheduled to work so that they could film some scenes indoors that did not need very much preparation.
Meanwhile, the sets for CBS’ “Cold Case” in Simi Valley were blown over by the strong winds Sunday, so the producers had to select another location, while a scene for “Big Shots” that had been planned to be filmed in Malibu had to be scrapped.
While the sets for “NCIS” were so close to the fires that the cast and crew could see the smoke billowing into the air, the wind was such that filming this week went on as usual.
So far, more than 356,000 acres – from San Diego north to Malibu and outside Los Angeles – have been charred.