During the night of 18 July a large fire destroyed the famous Number 5 theatre at the Cinecittà studios. Dense, high columns of smoke and acrid fumes invaded the whole district generating fear among local residents. The police are investigating the cause of the fire but investigators have not yet excluded arson.

Cinecittà’s Number 5 theatre was also known as the Fellini theatre because the famous Italian director filmed many movies there, from "Amarcord" to "Dolce Vita". The theatre was considerated the largest closed filming space in Europe.

The fire comes as employees campaign for the future of the studios which face being dismantled and replaced with hotels and health centres under a proposed business plan.