A fire tore through the roof of Studio Movie Grill's Spring Valley location in North Dallas just after 4 p.m. Monday, sending at least a dozen firefighters onto the building to battle flames near a large skylight while the cause remained unidentified. The blaze broke out near US-75 and W. Spring Valley Road, prompting a heavy Dallas Fire-Rescue response to the chain's flagship theater.
A CBS News Texas chopper captured firefighters working directly atop the roof near the skylight as crews battled the blaze. The outlet, whose report was authored by executive producer of multiplatform content Matthew Davisson, described the story as developing and said it would update coverage as more information becomes available. As of the report, fire officials had not identified what sparked the flames at the theater.
The Spring Valley location sits along US-75 near the Dallas-Richardson border and is Studio Movie Grill's largest facility, housing 16 auditoriums along with a full-service bar and lounge, according to the theater chain. Before Studio Movie Grill remodeled and reopened the building in 2012, the 16-screen complex operated as Regal Keystone Park 16, which had closed in October 2010 and sat vacant for two years before the dine-in chain acquired it, according to CultureMap Dallas.
Standard Ventilation Tactics on Display
The sight of a dozen firefighters working on the roof reflects standard Dallas Fire-Rescue protocol for large commercial structure fires, which call for truck companies to perform vertical roof ventilation near skylights or other high points to release superheated gases and prevent lateral fire spread inside big commercial attics, Hoodline has previously reported. That tactic was also visible during a Far North Dallas house fire earlier in August, when a firefighter was hurt as flames jumped between homes.
Monday's fire also arrived amid a busy stretch for Dallas Fire-Rescue crews along the US-75 corridor. About an hour before the theater fire was reported, crews had been dispatched to a major multi-vehicle accident farther south on US-75 near Northpark Boulevard that injured multiple people, closed southbound lanes, and required four ambulances, according to local news reports.
A Dallas Institution With Deep Roots
Studio Movie Grill is headquartered in Dallas and led by Chief Executive Officer Ted Croft, who took over in April 2021 after previously serving as the company's chief financial officer and chief operating officer, replacing founder Brian Schultz during a corporate restructuring, per Restaurant Business Magazine. The chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October 2020 amid pandemic-related shutdowns and emerged in April 2021 after paring its footprint from 34 locations down to 19, according to the Dallas Business Journal.
The company traces its origins to 1993 in nearby Addison, evolving from the former Granada Theater concept into a pioneer of first-run dine-in cinema across North Texas, according to the National Center for the Middle Market. Studio Movie Grill Holdings was certified as a Great Place to Work for the fourth consecutive year in May 2025, a distinction based on internal employee feedback.
The Spring Valley location also carries a history with Dallas's firefighting community. In late 2019, the theater partnered with local first-responder groups, including the Dallas Firefighter Association and Dallas Fire-Rescue, to host free community movie and meal events for firefighters and their families as part of the chain's national outreach efforts.
Monday's blaze is the latest in a string of significant commercial fires Dallas Fire-Rescue has handled this summer. In July, a three-alarm fire severely damaged the Pilates Methodology studio on Routh Street in Uptown, an incident that also involved heavy smoke billowing from the building's upper levels.
Key questions remain open, including what caused Monday's fire, the extent of interior damage to the auditoriums and kitchen infrastructure, and when the Spring Valley location might be cleared to reopen. CBS News Texas said it would continue updating its report as more details emerge.
