Something unspeakably chilling is ultimately starting to heat up at The City of Los Angeles! Beneath the famed La Brea Tar Pits, a raging volcano has formed, raining a storm of deadly fire bombs and an endless tide of white-hot lava upon the stunned city!
Written by
Anthony Pereyra
Plot Synopsis:
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In Los Angeles, California, an earthquake rocks the city. Michael Roark, the director of the Office of Emergency Management (OEM) witnesses about the earthquake on the news and insists on coming to work, although he has been on vacation with his dog Max and 15-year-old daughter Kelly. Unwilling to leave Kelly and Max unsupervised, Michael calls for a babysitter to have his daughter and dog under intensive supervision in case any further happenings occur. His associate, Emmit Reese, tells Michael that the magnitude did not cause much damage.
At MacArthur Park, two construction workers clash with a female police officer until a rush of yellow mustard gas ambushes one utility worker, eventually burning him to death. Michael goes to the park to see that a total of seven utility workers were burned to death by the mustard gas, and intends to shut down the subway lines that run parallel from the sewer as a precaution. The CEO of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), Stan Olber, opposes, feeling that it poses no threat to the subways. Against city regulations, Michael alongside with Gator Harris explore the sewer, where the mustard gas reacted earlier. They take samples, but a reading on Gator's meter obtains evidence that there is indeed a steam pit that releases the mustard gases. The sewer heats up, burning rats to death, and forcing Michael and Gator to leave the sewer, although they are barely able to shut a hatcher door just before the mustard gas gets to them. Once out of the sewer, Michael is desperate to recruit someone who may know about the evidence of what has been happening lately. Me meets geologist Dr. Amy Barnes, who theorizes that a volcano and magma may be forming underground. Overtime, water at the La Brea Tar Pits begins to boil, sinking an elephant statue in the process.
The next morning, at around 5:15 A.M. PST, Dr. Barnes and her assistant Rachael explore the sewer, where Michael and Gator explored earlier, to take some samples. At that time, another earthquake strikes the city, twice as powerful than the previous one. In the process, a mass transit train is derailed in a subway, leaving the driver and the passengers exposed to unstable oxygen and intense heat. With Michael and Kelly venturing the streets, they witness steam sending sewer lids flying and a dangerous ash cloud flowing from the tar pits, releasing lava meteors that ignite several buildings. One lava meteor strikes a fire engine, trapping one and leaving the other one with a skull fracture. Dr. Jaye Calder, who is responsible for duties at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, tends to the downed firefighters, while Michael joins the effort, inadvertently leaving Kelly in the car.
After another quake, a newly formed underground volcano begins to erupt, releasing lava that simply destroys and incinerates everything in its path. Kelly pleas for her father's help, but a lava meteor blocks her escape and burns her right leg. Michael saves Kelly and is eager to leap to safety just before his vehicle is swallowed by the lava flow. The lava flows heads into the path of the fire engine that was downed by a lava meteor previously. The trapped fireman pleas for help, only for his co-worker too late to save him as both firemen are burned to death as the fire engine is taken away. The lava reaches a propane tank trailer, triggering a massive explosion. Dr. Calder examines Kelly's burned leg and takes Kelly with her, while Michael stays behind to convince other city workers about the ensuing chaos.
The lava flow reaches Stanley Avenue, burning several homes in the process, and a dog from one home narrowly escapes. Dr. Barnes, having survives the chaos in the sewer, witnesses the newly formed underground volcano, and eventually joins forces with Michael. The duo and several municipal workers push a bus in an effort to deflect the lava flow. Michael and Dr. Barnes hear the hiccups of a man, bring him to safety, until their path is blocked by a downed tree. The only way out is a ladder from a fire engine, but as too much weight and fire engulfs the ladder, it narrowly evades the lava flow, but breaks. Michael, Dr. Barnes, and the struggling man survive. The bus move is a success, directing the lava flow in a different direction. As city workers enter this war against mothernature, a mischievous black man named Kevin pleas for help by the fire chief, but seemingly harassing him in the process, police officer Terry Jasper puts Kevin in handcuffs.
Stanley and his MTA team venture in the subway and find the derailed train. They pry the train door open to search for survivors on board. One MTA worker witnesses a lava flow from underneath the train, meaning that the team must remove the bodies off the train fast, but Stanley thinks that the driver is still missing, and goes to find him. He finds the driver and tries to jump out of the train, only too late to land into the lava flow. Stanley throws the driver to safety and his swallowed to death by the lava flow. Michael meets Police Lieutenant Ed Fox, who both agree and plan to stack a set of concrete barriers by the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue, which creates a cul-de-sac to stop the lava in its tracks. Several people lift some of the barriers themselves, but prove to be too heavy. The arrested Kevin decides to help out, and police officer Bud McVie removes the handcuffs from him. Knowing that is tall and strong, Kevin helps the others lift the last concrete barrier to complete the lower stack. Meanwhile, at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Kelly is there being treated and watching other children, while Dr. Calder continues to tend to injured patients, much to her husband Norman's displeasure. The lava is then stopped as the concrete barriers block the way. A fleet of helicopters drop high pressure water gathered from the Pacific Ocean, which subdues the volcano and cools and hardens the lava.
At sunrise, those who battled against the lava flow celebrate, but Dr. Barnes predicts that the lava and magma may be forming from a vent, which means that the main eruption could occur at the end near Red Line close to Beverly Center. With only 30 minutes to spare, Michael and Dr. Barnes lower a video camera into a tunnel, which is destroyed by an incoming lava flow. With enough evidence, the duo go to the west side of city to order an evacuation. Kelly is relocated to the Hard Rock Cafe, where she tried to find a small boy named Tommy, who wandered off. As Michael and a SWAT team rig various areas with explosives, steam flows from the sewer, and another eruption occurs, sending various residents into a panicking frenzy. As Lieutenant Fox gives orders to activate the explosives, the explosives open a gap in the road and bring down a condominium building, where Gator and another officer inputted the last explosive charge and both perish in the process. As the building collapses, Michael spots Kelly and Tommy in the direct path of the downing building, but narrowly saves both of them. The lava is then directed towards the Pacific Ocean, cooled and hardened in the process. As survivors have a sigh of relief, Michael emerges from the building's wreckage with Kelly and Tommy by his side. In the aftermath, more than 100 people have died, thousands injured, and billions of dollars in damages. Michael witnesses that his dog Max has survived the chaos and explains in front of Emmit that he is on vacation after all.
In the epilogue, with "I Lova L.A." by Randy Newman playing, the underground volcano is dubbed "Mount Wilshire".
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