MOVIES - May 15, 1987

Special effects became especially affecting Wednesday morning on the Illinois set of “Poltergeist III” when an explosive charge meant to blow up six cars triggered a blaze that caused an estimated $250,000 damage to an office building. Two firefighters and a maintenance man were slightly injured and about 150 members of the movie crew had to be evacuated from an underground parking garage beneath the office building, said Tony Barton, chief of the Fire Protection Agency in Oakbrook Terrace, Ill. Oakbrook Terrace is a suburb located about 25 miles west of Chicago. When the fire got out of hand, a full contingent of 25 firefighters and six pieces of equipment were brought in. The fire burned so hot that the concrete in the parking garage cracked, Barton said.