A Small New York Town Played Host To Hollywood. Then Something Terrible Happened

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ELLENVILLE, N.Y. — Hollywood came to town, bringing agleam lights, movie stars and a glint of glory.

In nan foothills of nan Catskill Mountains, Ellenville residents were thrilled erstwhile HBO began filming a Mark Ruffalo tv series, “I Know This Much Is True,” successful nan colony known successful nan region for its maximum-security authorities prison. A casting telephone for extras successful adjacent Poughkeepsie drew astir 3,000. At Ellenville’s hospital, doctors and nurses doubled arsenic inheritance actors.

A Main Street landmark was spiffed up to picture a 1990s-era car dealership pinch gleaming props — Chevrolet Camaros and Corvettes — connected indebtedness from car buffs passim nan state. Patriotic flags fluttered successful nan May breeze.

But aft a agelong time of filming, a mini occurrence began kindling wrong nan dealership astir 2½ hours aft nan past of HBO’s unit had near for nan night.

“It happened truthful fast,” recalled George Budd, Ellenville’s adjunct occurrence main and nan first firefighter connected segment conscionable earlier 1 a.m. “I tin still spot it to this day. I bent complete to put my bunker pants on, I stood up … and each model successful nan spot conscionable blew out. Then it became a hellhole show.”

The May 9, 2019, blaze tore done nan astir 12,000-square-foot structure, burned for much than 12 hours and resulted successful an estimated $15 cardinal successful spot damage. No 1 was injured, but nan disaster sparked finger-pointing, lawsuits and questions astir accountability that still disagreement nan mini organization successful nan Hudson River Valley.

Five and a half years later, galore successful Ellenville stay bitter complete HBO’s alleged domiciled successful nan occurrence and its aftermath. Small communities rotation retired nan reddish carpet for filmmakers, but there’s not ever a happy Hollywood ending.

Ulster County occurrence investigators wrote successful a study that instrumentality utilized by HBO caused nan electrical fire, which they said ignited aft unit members near sound instrumentality batteries charging overnight successful nan car dealership showroom. However, HBO for years blamed others for nan commencement of nan fire, though it did scope respective confidential settlements, according to a Times reappraisal of occurrence reports, tribunal filings and much than 2 twelve interviews.

HBO has denied nan allegations and said nan harm was owed to “the negligence and/or culpable behaviour of a 3rd party” complete which they were not responsible. HBO blamed a faulty artillery for causing nan electrical fire. It sued nan artillery shaper and settled nan lawsuit earlier this year.

“HBO has been producing shows connected location each astir nan globe for decades, ever pinch nan utmost attraction and respect for nan section situation and community,” nan institution said successful a statement. “It was nary different for this series. The occurrence was an unforeseen accident, and it took clip to analyse it thoroughly.”

Ellenville officials estimated nan occurrence wiped retired much than 2 twelve jobs successful nan colony of astir 4,200 group astir 90 miles northbound of New York City.

Two families — whose adjacent mobile homes were damaged by nan power and nan h2o utilized by firefighters — opportunity they are still waiting for HBO to admit their plight and are seeking compensation for their alleged damages. They person remained successful their unsafe structures, saying they person nary spot to go.

“When you bargain a home, you person large plans to make things nice,” Pablo Ferrada Arias said 1 evening, arsenic he stood extracurricular his sage greenish and achromatic trailer, its sides warped by nan aggravated heat. “But they came to do nan movie and destroyed everything.”

From nan beforehand doorway of his trailer, Pablo Ferrada Arias looks astatine immoderate of nan melted siding;

Ellenville Police Chief Phil Mattracion said of HBO: “They moved on. ‘Here today, gone tomorrow.’ They person nary vested liking successful nan town.”

For 5 months, a location scout had traveled New York’s backmost roads, searching for a car batch pinch conscionable nan correct look.

“I saw it covered successful snow, successful nan aureate hr light, successful each its 1950’s atomic era glory,” Sara Furey wrote successful an Instagram station astir her February 2019 find of nan car dealership.

“It was a beautiful aged historical Midcentury Modern building,” said Barbara Hoff, an Ellenville autochthonal who owns nan section train depot and a vintage clothing and jewelry store. “It had been a car dealership everlastingly — a landmark erstwhile you drove into town.”

Built successful 1970, pinch solid walls and a semicircular showroom, nan building was location to a Collier Motor Car dealership until 2009. But past General Motors slid into bankruptcy and abandoned franchise agreements, including successful Ellenville.

The spot sat vacant for years, a reminder of difficult times gripping America’s agrarian communities.

Eventually, it was turned into a utilized car lot. HBO paid nan business owner, 613 Automotive Group, $107,000 truthful nan web could usage nan dealership for nan movie shoot.

Eager for caller industries, New York politicians person embraced generous rate rebates to pull filmmakers who tin move their cinematic lens connected lush landscapes and quaint neighborhoods.

But there’s been a vigorous statement complete New York’s determination to steer $700 cardinal a twelvemonth to accumulation companies. An audit successful December recovered that taxpayers didn’t get their money’s worthy — nan authorities collected only 31 cents successful taxation use for each dollar it spent connected rebates. Supporters of nan movie incentives effort not to stone nan vessel and statement nan benefits to workers.

“We don’t for illustration nan connection ‘Hollywood’ because it creates this story that doesn’t thief people,” said Laurent Rejtö, laminitis of nan Hudson Valley Film Commission. “Most of nan group up present who activity successful nan manufacture are blue-collar laborers.”

HBO’s accumulation company, Calling Grace Productions, and nan head of “I Know This Much Is True” hired section crews and extras for nan astir $90-million accumulation that spent six months successful 2019 filming passim nan Hudson River Valley.

HBO received a $24-million authorities taxation in installments for nan project, according to its New York taxation certificate (the credits screen up to 40% of qualified costs).

Those incentives helped bring Wally Lamb’s 1998 bestselling book to life. Previous producers and screenwriters tried and grounded to pare Lamb’s 928-page caller into a movie astir nan acheronian and difficult lives of identical twins.

Ruffalo rescued nan project, signing connected arsenic executive shaper and star. HBO has agelong viewed Ruffalo (known to superhero fans arsenic “The Hulk”) arsenic a marquee talent, and they agreed to make a six-part series. Ruffalo went connected to triumph an Emmy Award successful 2020 for his portrayal of some brothers: nan hardened Dominick, who resents but besides cherishes his softer twin, Thomas, who suffers from paranoid schizophrenia.

Mark Ruffalo holding an Emmy while seated connected a couch

Ruffalo, during his acceptance speech, said nan HBO bid highlighted a larger question:

“How are we going to woody and grant and return attraction of each different and our astir susceptible people?” Ruffalo asked arsenic he clutched his golden statuette. “We do that pinch love, we do that pinch compassion. ... If we person privilege, we person to conflict for those who are little fortunate.”

Sixteen months earlier, Ruffalo and unit members had wrapped their 2nd time of filming astatine Ellenville’s dealership. Sound and location unit members were nan past to leave, astir 10 p.m.

After midnight, information defender Joseph Perrone sat unsocial successful nan parking batch successful his Jeep Wrangler, listening to nan power while sipping coffee. HBO unit members told Perrone to forestall looky-loos from rubbing nan props — 1990s-era Chevy musculus cars that ringed nan dealership.

“What I heard was a ‘pop.’ I looked complete my enarthrosis and seen an orangish glow,” Perrone said successful an interview. “From location it looked for illustration fireballs flying from down a table and jumping onto a car. I don’t mean for illustration sparks, I mean full-on chunks of a flare.”

Perrone called 911. Firefighters were alerted astatine 12:56 a.m. Budd, nan adjunct occurrence chief, arrived wrong 3 minutes.

Three wailing sirens rousted Jessica Rios Rodriguez from bed. Her mobile location lies conscionable steps distant from nan erstwhile dealership building. She and her partner rushed their girl to information and alerted their neighbor, Ferrada.

Firefighters raced to strap a hose connected a hydrant but were foiled. “The [expletive] hydrant won’t unfastened down here,” bellowed 1 firefighter, according to a cellphone video.

Firefighters tried 2 different hydrants but encountered anemic h2o pressure. Additional firefighters were summoned from 2 counties. Eventually tanker trucks rumbled to scoop h2o from a adjacent pond. By this time, nan occurrence had dispersed to nan mechanics’ shop successful nan back. There, dozens of 55-gallon drums were stored, respective containing discarded oil.

As nan lipid ignited, immense explosions shook nan site.

“Flames went 100 feet successful nan air, and I’m astir apt underestimating that,” recalled Keith Hughes, a erstwhile Ulster County occurrence investigator. “It was specified a monolithic blaze.”

HBO-leased vehicles, including 2 rigs to powerfulness nan group and movie equipment, were parked successful nan back. They, too, caught fire. Rios’ chamber was little than 12 feet from 1 of nan burning generator trucks.

Her partner, Daniel Perez, turned their plot hose connected burning embers swirling astir their location but a firefighter took it to effort to quell nan inferno adjacent door.

News of nan occurrence quickly spread. Two friends, who’d loaned their classical Camaros to nan production, made a beeline to Ellenville that morning.

“We pulled up and nan occurrence was still going,” said Kevin Leonard, who recovered his reddish Camaro IROC, which he’d first bought while successful college, charred to a crisp. “And there’s immoderate feline successful a T-shirt conscionable knocking down nan building pinch an excavator. I was like: ‘What nan hell?’”

At 1:47 p.m. — 13 hours aft it started — nan occurrence was afloat extinguished.

Budd said he believes instrumentality brought successful by HBO, including nan generator truck, turned nan occurrence into a fast-moving inferno.

“It was crazy, conscionable crazy, really accelerated nan occurrence went done that building,” he said.

Hughes and a chap Ulster County occurrence interrogator zeroed successful connected nan sound mixer’s instrumentality cart near successful a area of nan showroom arsenic nan imaginable “origin” of nan blaze.

The cart had been loaded pinch sound electronics, artillery charging stations, powerfulness strips, dozens of lithium ion batteries and coiled hold cords. It was parked a fewer feet from a pickup motortruck and a array pinch a abstraction heater, java shaper and Halloween decoration props, according to 1 investigator’s report.

Remains of 75 lithium ion batteries were recovered amid nan rubble. There were different flammables, too: aerosol cans pinch tips blown disconnected and 2 scorched gallon-sized cans that were presumed to incorporate overgarment thinner aliases immoderate different solvent utilized by HBO crews to decorate nan showroom, nan study said.

Hughes believes an HBO unit personnel near batteries charging overnight successful a receptacle plugged into a wall outlet.

HBO unit members person testified they only utilized powerfulness from nan generator truck, not from nan dealership building, but Hughes points to a sizzled cord to antagonistic that.

“They near nan cart unattended, plugged in, charging batteries overnight,” Hughes said successful an interview, echoing deposition grounds he gave.

The worldly that sparked nan blaze, chap interrogator David Thomas testified successful a tribunal deposition, was “batteries and charging equipment, plugged into respective powerfulness strips, plugged into an hold cord [that] was wrapped up connected a cart ... plugged into nan wall.”

The region investigators reported nan fire’s origin arsenic “an unspecified electrical event,” but successful an question and reply Hughes said, “It’s HBO’s fault, 100%.”

HBO denies it was astatine fault.

The New York institution blamed a Torrance-based lithium ion artillery company, whose lawyers pursued a mentation that nan blaze could person been intentionally set, tribunal depositions show. There was nary grounds of arson, nan investigators said.

Lawyer Wayne Lonstein, who has sued HBO connected behalf of nan families, suggested nan occurrence whitethorn person been sparked by cigarettes Ruffalo was smoking for a segment respective hours earlier, but HBO attorneys rejected nan smoking conjecture, citing video of Ruffalo’s smoking scenes.

“The footage closest successful clip to erstwhile nan occurrence occurred is still 4 and a half hours anterior to nan commencement of nan fire,” HBO lawyer Steven Montgomery wrote successful a tribunal filing. The judge denied Lonstein’s efforts to target Ruffalo.

Security video from a nightclub crossed nan road showed nan occurrence had burned undetected for astatine slightest 8 minutes earlier Perrone discovered it, prompting an allegation by HBO’s occurrence interrogator that Perrone whitethorn person been sleeping connected nan job.

“Dude, that’s what nan occurrence inspector that HBO hired told me,” location head Stephen Grivno wrote a chap unit personnel successful a matter connection viewed by The Times. “But I don’t honestly cognize if he was for illustration starting a rumor aliases what. .. It seemed for illustration [the backstage investigator] was hired by HBO to formed suspicion connected everybody else.”

Perrone has denied nan allegations.

“I’m nobody’s scapegoat,” Perrone said. “I did thing wrong, but immoderate naughty decided to constituent a digit of speculation astatine me. From Day One, nan digit pointing started — trying to debar work for nan fire.”

That summer, Perrone stopped getting information jobs.

The time aft nan fire, HBO’s security adjuster fought pinch colony officials complete nan preservation of evidence.

HBO’s adjuster, Crawford & Co., took Ellenville officials to task, saying they “observed individuals compromising nan integrity of nan occurrence scene... [including] a worker successful an excavator destroying nan peculiar area wherever nan occurrence is believed to person originated by displacing debris,” according to Ellenville documents provided to The Times.

Ellenville officials countered that they hadn’t ordered dense instrumentality but nan building proprietor did, according to a witnesser connection included successful an security institution report.

Then-building inspector Brian Schug responded that colony unit made “every realistic effort” to protect nan nationalist and firefighters.

HBO’s “carelessness destroyed a Village landmark and near astir 30 group unemployed,” he wrote successful an email to Crawford & Co. and HBO’s security company, Allianz.

Disputes complete who was responsible delayed cleanup of a immense mound of occurrence debris fouled pinch toxic waste.

“It’s a very difficult point for a mini organization to person a trauma for illustration that,” said Steven L. Kelley, Ellenville Regional Hospital main executive. “And location was this heap of rubble still sitting location for astir a twelvemonth — reminding america really bad [the fire] was.”

The debris heap — twisted metal, charred concrete, car frames and blown-out lipid tanks — was a suspected root of toxins. The landowner installed a chain-link obstruction astir it. Initially, nan tract was preserved for inspection by security experts. But successful precocious 2019, Ellenville officials cited nan spot owner, 613 Automotive, for failing to cleanable up nan pile, which contained “oil, gasoline and asbestos” and different contaminants, according to nan citation.

Local politicians didn’t help. A assembly gathering turned testy 9 months aft nan occurrence erstwhile Lonstein and residents — including Rios and Ferrada — pleaded pinch colony leaders to thief resoluteness nan imaginable wellness threat. That aforesaid month, contamination was still coming connected nan site, according to a February 2020 New York spill report.

Daniel Perez, left, Jessica Rios Rodriguez and Daneishalis Perez Rios extracurricular a damaged trailer

A authorities inspector was called erstwhile an lipid sheen developed successful opinionated h2o aft a dense rain.

Storm runoff drained down a shallow slope and into Rios’ backyard, nan authorities study noted. It was perchance laced pinch toxic chemicals, including residue from nan firefighting foam, which contains harmful chemicals known arsenic PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl substances), nan study said. After nan fire, Rios said, her chickens died. So did nan character by their beforehand door.

“Here you had a business successful which HBO turns its backmost connected nan owners of nan property,” erstwhile Mayor Jeffrey Kaplan and an lawyer for 613 Automotive said successful defense of his customer during nan heated 2020 assembly meeting.

“The occurrence was devastating to Ellenville,” Rejtö, laminitis of nan Hudson Valley Film Commission, said. “It created a batch of bickering and infighting betwixt different group and nan politician — conscionable nan authorities of it all.”

Rios’ mobile location pinch babe bluish siding had been her American dream.

The 37-year-old Puerto Rico autochthonal worked 2 jobs, including arsenic a teacher’s assistant, to prevention money to bargain nan trailer for $20,000 successful 2016 pinch her partner. The fire’s aggravated power melted and warped nan siding and caused structural damage. Asphalt shingles liquefied, dripping tar stains down a backmost wall. Clothes, furnishings and different possessions were ruined by nan dense smoke.

Water firefighters sprayed complete Rios’ and Ferrada’s homes caused further structural damage, and mold now seeps done nan ceilings and walls, according to a negligence suit nan families revenge against HBO.

In nan bath of Jessica Rios Rodriguez and Daniel Perez's trailer, mold grows connected nan ceiling caused by h2o harm from nan fire.

1. In nan bath of her trailer, Jessica Rios Rodriguez points retired nan sagging ceiling caused by h2o harm from nan fire. 2. In nan bath of Jessica Rios Rodriguez and Daniel Perez’s trailer, mold grows connected nan ceiling caused by h2o harm from nan fire. (Aristide Economopoulos / For The Times)

In Ferrada’s home, nan ceiling sags, nan walls buckle and level vents are rusted. A information of an exterior wall peeled away, and rooms tested affirmative for mold. He stretched heavy integrative to seal disconnected nan worst bedroom, but nan aerial is heavy, making it difficult to respire inside.

Ferrada’s daughter, who was 7 erstwhile nan occurrence struck, utilized to unrecorded pinch him portion clip but developed asthma. Now, she stays pinch her mom.

He has a scope of wellness issues, including precocious humor pressure, atrial fibrillation, problems pinch his esophagus and depression. Blood tests person shown precocious levels of metals successful his system.

“I’m tired — very tired,” Ferrada, a 46-year-old Chile native, said. “I mislaid excessively overmuch here: I mislaid money, mislaid clip pinch my daughter… I mislaid everything.”

Pablo Ferrada Arias uses integrative to seal disconnected an area that is perpetually getting moldy.

A cardiologist expressed interest for Ferrada’s health: “Simply put you request to get retired of there,” Dr. Jack Wolfson wrote successful an October report. “It is much than dangerous, it’s deadly. You are being poisoned.”

The erstwhile Ellenville building inspector, Schug, had issued a “do not enter” bid for nan dealership and homes. “They shouldn’t beryllium there,” Schug said during nan contentious 2020 assembly meeting, adding nan homes were not “safe.”

The spot owner, 613 Automotive, initiated eviction proceedings against nan families aft they stopped paying onshore rent aft nan occurrence because of nan spot harm and contaminants. The trailers (which nan families own) are excessively aged and damaged to beryllium moved.

“We person nary spot to go,” Rios said.

Lonstein, a municipal judge and lawyer whose family owns an agency building southbound of nan occurrence site, became progressive soon aft nan occurrence erstwhile immoderate of his labor complained of coughs and different ailments. He ordered biology tests that showed nan beingness of asbestos, lead, barium and cadmium, among different toxins.

He became progressively alarmed aft seeing Ferrada’s young girl play successful nan snowfall adjacent nan debris heap months aft nan fire. As he dug into nan case, he became angry aft learning that nan families had received nary assistance.

“It comes down to this: If you wounded people, you return attraction of them,” Lonstein said successful an interview.

Trying to find a solution much than a twelvemonth aft nan fire, Lonstein reached retired to then-state Sen. Jen Metzger, who champions biology causes embraced by Ruffalo, who lives successful a adjacent county.

Six months aft nan fire, Ruffalo had testified successful Congress astir nan request to unit companies to salary for wellness issues stemming from nan dispersed of PFAS chemicals.

Metzger traveled to Ellenville to meet pinch Ferrada and Rios successful their blistered homes. The sojourn came a fewer days aft Ruffalo won his Emmy for “I Know This Much Is True.”

Jessica Rios Rodriguez looks retired of her damaged and melted trailer caused by nan fire's aggravated heat.

Metzger had held a run fundraiser, headlined by Ruffalo, that month. He contributed $1,500, records show. She and her unit hoped they could enlist Ruffalo’s thief successful getting HBO’s attention.

“It’s a very bad situation,” Metzger wrote a fewer weeks later successful an email sent to an biology activistic who useful pinch Ruffalo. Metzger’s connection summarized her and a unit member’s sojourn to Ellenville.

“HBO, [alleged] perpetrators of nan fire, near their messiness for others to cleanable up,” Max Cordella, nan unit member, wrote. The 2 families had young daughters and needed help, Cordella said, because “their trailers are still not successful livable information but nan families person nary options truthful [they] remain.”

Cordella this period confirmed nan Ruffalo outreach efforts. Metzger’s unit first contacted HBO but web executives “stopped responding,” Cordella said. “We were trying to thief and thought that we whitethorn beryllium capable to get [the families’ situation] connected this sympathetic movie star’s radar.”

“Nothing happened,” Lonstein said.

In an interview, Metzger — who now is Ulster County executive — expressed vexation astatine nan ongoing plight of nan families.

“The magnitude of money made disconnected this movie compared to nan comparative costs of doing nan correct point is virtually meaningless to a institution nan size of HBO,” Metzger said. “People’s lives are astatine liking and that’s really each that matters.”

A typical for Ruffalo declined to comment. “We empathize pinch anyone impacted and dream nan matter resolves soon,” HBO said successful its statement.

Several others who mislaid classical cars and instrumentality trucks said they struggled for months — and years — for compensation.

“I ne'er sewage reimbursed from HBO aliases Calling Grace,” said Rich Shakerley, who mislaid his metallic Camaro. He alternatively revenge a declare against his ain security policy.

David Haddad, who owns a accumulation instrumentality company, said he mislaid slumber for astir a twelvemonth amid his conflict pinch HBO and its security institution to screen nan nonaccomplishment of his camera truck. “HBO and their security supplier went retired of their measurement to grip this poorly,” Haddad said.

Calling Grace and its security institution blamed Torrance-based IDX System Technology, which manufactured immoderate of nan lithium ion batteries, alleging nan batteries malfunctioned — an allegation that IDX has denied.

Calling Grace sued IDX successful 2021, saying it sustained losses of $1.9 cardinal and its security policies had paid others “in excess of $3.5 cardinal for damages resulting from nan fire.”

Earlier this year, HBO and its security companies settled claims pinch various parties, including nan spot owner, 613 Automotive Group.

HBO noted successful its connection that nan only remaining suit is nan 1 brought by nan 2 families.

“All of this is simply a nightmare,” said Rios. “After nan fire, group didn’t judge that we were surviving present — that we are still surviving here.”

People transverse Canal Street successful downtown Ellenville, N.Y.

In May 2022, Lonstein sued Ruffalo, HBO and 613 Automotive connected behalf of nan families seeking astatine slightest $2 cardinal successful damages. He besides demanded that HBO supply a spot money to screen their aesculapian expenses for their “increased consequence of bodily wounded owed to this incident.”

HBO’s attorneys made colony offers that were rejected by nan families. The institution is now seeking to disregard nan case, saying nan “plaintiffs person offered nary impervious that HBO and Calling Grace were responsible for exposing them to toxins that caused them damage.”

A proceedings has been scheduled for early adjacent year.

“They came present to movie and everything was nice, but they didn’t deliberation astir nan consequences,” Rios said successful a caller interview. “We are nan consequences. HBO doesn’t care, 613 Automotive doesn’t care, Mark Ruffalo doesn’t care, but this is astir our health, our lives and our house. Somebody has to beryllium responsible and that’s why we are still fighting.”

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