Grease Fire Breaks Out At ABC Studios Causing 'The View' Co-Hosts To Evacuate
By Kelly Coffey-Behrens on April 10, 2024 at 1:30 PM EDT
Before'The View'co-hosts went live on air, Whoopi Goldberg, Ana Navarro, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, and Alyssa Farah Griffin were forced to evacuate after a grease fire broke out in the ABC Studio.
According to Goldberg, the grease fire started next door at 'The Tamron Hall Show' studio.
'We Didn't Start The Fire'
The cast and crew of 'The View' had to evacuate early Wednesday morning as firefighters responded to the call. After getting clearance, Whoopi Goldberg, Ana Navarro, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin, Alyssa Farah Griffin, and the rest of the staff returned to the studio and began their show.
To kick it off, the co-hosts walked out to Billy Joel's 1989 hit 'We Didn't Start the Fire.'
"This morning we had to evacuate the studio because there was a fire that we did not start," Goldberg told the audience and viewers.
"We do not know who started it, we do not know what started it," the EGOT winner added. It was later revealed the fire started in the kitchen at 'The Tamron Hall Show' studio.
An Eventful Morning At 'The View'
The official 'The View' X account shared a clip of the co-hosts walking out, describing it as an "eventful morning" at the studio.
"It really made me understand my priorities, because once I saw all the hosts were fine, I was like, 'Where's my glam team?'" Farah Griffin joked. "Like, leave [executive producer Brian Teta], but as long as hair and makeup is safe.'"
Behr then joked, "Yes, it's really dangerous to [see] us on the street without hair and makeup."
When she heard they had to evacuate, Goldberg then revealed what first came to her mind. "I grabbed my purse," she said. "When that happens, as you're evacuating, you snatch up your [purse] cause that's your ID!"
They later confirmed that everyone was safe.
Tamron Hall Addresses The Grease Fire
Due to the grease fire, 'The Tamron Hall Show' had to air a re-run as they couldn't proceed with their live taping at 10 a.m. The host was able to come out and address the emergency before the channel aired an old episode.
“Hi everybody, welcome to the show,” Tamron Hallsaid while standing on set in front of a black screen. “I know this looks a little different around here. I am, in fact, live in front of a black screen because we have had something happen that’s never happened in the five seasons of the show. We are not able to air the show scheduled for today.”
According to Hall, the grease fire broke out in the kitchen before taping began. Luckily, they extinguished the fire, but the building still had to be evacuated.
"Our team reacted in incredible time," the 53-year-old said. "We were in place, preparing for our live show today. The audience was in the holding area of the show, preparing to come out here and cheer and have a phenomenal show today. But as my friend Bevy Smith says, 'Sometimes live be life-ing,' and that happened to us today."
New York City Fire Department Says They 'Discovered Burnt Food On The Stove'
A spokesperson for the Fire Department of New York City told Entertainment Weekly that crews received the call around 8:42 a.m. local time.
"On arrival, units had discovered burnt food on the stove in the building," the spokesperson told the outlet. "FDNY handled this call with one engine and one ladder, consisting of approximately 12 personnel. No injuries were reported."
'The Tamron Hall Show' Releases A Statement Regarding The Grease Fire
Later on, 'The Tamron Hall Show' released a statement regarding the emergency:
“This morning there was a small grease fire in the kitchen of the 'Tamron Hall' set in New York City during preparations for a segment for the 10 a.m. ET live broadcast. Everyone, including staff, crew, guests, and audience members, were safely evacuated from the area, and no one was harmed. The show was able to return safely to the studio in time for Tamron to address the situation during a segment that aired live at the top of today’s show.”
'The Tamron Hall Show' airs weekdays at 10 a.m. EST on ABC, followed by 'The View', which airs at 11 a.m. EST.