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Pinewood Studios' '007' Sound Stage Catches Fire By Rich Drees
July 30, 2006- An early Sunday morning fire at England’s Pinewood Studios has damaged their famed “007 Stage,” one of the largest sound stages in the world.
The fire broke out at approximately 11:00 at the studio complex located approximately 20 miles west of London. Nearby residents reported seeing flames shooting out of the building’s roof, accompanied by plumes of smoke. Eight fire trucks manned by approximately 50 firefighters were called to the scene at 11:18. The blaze was brought under control. No injuries were reported.
Video footage shown on the BBC revealed that the stage’s walls were blackened by smoke and that a portion of the roof had buckled inwards. Although the amount of damage to the stage had not been determined, it will probably have to undergo major reconstruction.
Most recently, the sound stage was being used for the latest James Bond film Casino Royale, due out in November. However, reports indicate that filming had been completed and that the sets were in the process of being dismantled.
The “007” soundstage was originally conceived and built in 1976 by production designer Ken Adams for the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me (1977). In addition to its nearly 45,500 square foot floor space, the stage also contains one of the largest water tanks, measuring 297 feet by 73 feet by 8 feet.
This is not the first fire to strike the stage. In 1984, the stage burned to the ground. The cause was later linked to some gasoline canisters left over from director Ridley Scott’s fantasy film Legend, which had just finished shooting on the stage. The stage was rebuilt and rechristened “Albert R. Broccoli’s 007 Stage,” after the producer who originally brought the James Bond novels to the screen.
Other films that have used the 007 Stage include Superman: The Movie (1978), Superman II (1980), Little Shop Of Horrors (1986), Aliens (1986), Interview With A Vampire (1994), Mission: Impossible (1996) and Charlie And The Chocolate Factory (2005).
UPDATE:
June 31, 2006- Some additional details about the Pinewood Studios fire have emerged. Three workers were on the 007 Stage at the time the fire broke out. They escaped unharmed. Although an investigation will be made, it is thought that a stray welder’s spark may have ignited a nearby cluster of gas canisters. "Obviously we will be looking at the fact that work was going on inside and that there were gas cylinders inside, but we have to keep an open mind,” stated Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue representative Frank Pearson in a statement. Although the fire was brought under control within 90 minutes, crews stayed on the site, creating a 200-metre exclusion zone and continuing to wet down the collapsed structure. A studio spokesperson stated that there was “no significant collateral damage to any other assets at the Pinewood site” and that the studio should be working at full capacity today. A statement released by Pinewood Studios states that the stage “will need to be destroyed and rebuilt.” The statement continued to say that though the studio’s management had not fully assessed the impact of the fire on the studio’s performance, “its preliminary view is that this is unlikely to have any material impact on the financial performance of the company over the full year.” Casino Royale had only finished filming on the stage, where the production had built a $20 million dollar set replicate a portion of the city of Venice, a few days prior to the blaze. Although Casino Royale’s post-production will not be affected by the fire, it is currently unknown if the disaster will have any effect on the announced August 2007 filming start of the next, as-yet-untitled, Bond film set for release in May 2008. |
