Lord of the Rings set lies in ruins after studio fire: Photos show damage to backlot where filming of Amazon series was brought to a halt by blaze – as firefighters launch probe
- Photos show a single-storey warehouse on the Rings of Power set lying in ruins
- It comes after fire crews were called to the set in Windsor, Berkshire, at 12.30pm
- Read more: Lord Of The Rings spin-off cast left in tears as horse dies
Photos show damage to the roof of a single-storey warehouse that caught fire on the Rings of Power set in Windsor, Berkshire, earlier today.
Aerial images show the backlot in ruins with a gaping hole in its roof and charred debris inside.
It comes after fire crews were called just before 12.30pm to Bray Studios where filming is taking place on the second season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.
Photos on social media showed thick black clouds of smoke billowing from the site near Maidenhead, with reports that multiple fire engines are tackling the blaze in a single-storey warehouse.
The second series of The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power started filming in Berkshire earlier this year and is expected to be released in 2024.
Photos show damage to the roof of a single-storey warehouse (pictured) that caught fire on the Rings of Power set in Windsor, Berkshire, earlier today
Aerial images show the backlot with a gaping hole in its roof and charred debris can be seen inside
It comes after fire crews were called just before 12.30pm to Bray Studios where filming is taking place on the second season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
The second series of The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power started filming in Berkshire earlier this year and is expected to be released in 2024
An intricate castle set had been constructed at the location, featuring towers with Celtic-style knots and covered passages, similar to those previously seen in the elven town of Lindon.
A courtyard had also been built around a water feature alongside an archway which had delicate decoration.
In some images members of staff and the cast, including some dressed as orcs, can be seen outside watching fire crews trying to keep the inferno from spreading.
A spokesman for the Royal Berkshire Fire And Rescue Service said: ‘At 12:26pm on Monday, 3 April, we received reports of a fire at Bray Studios near Windsor.
‘Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service crews from Bracknell, Slough and Maidenhead Fire Stations were sent to the scene.
The studio near Maidenhead was abandoned when the fire was discovered and filming was suspended
Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue service said it had sent crews from three stations to the blaze. Pictured: A fire engine seen going to Bray Studios near Maidenhead
The fire broke out on a filming location where producers have constructed an intricate castle set (pictured)
Fire crews at the scene at Bray Studios, where a fire was discovered in a single-storey warehouse
Three crews were sent to the scene of the fire and began to control the blaze, which had broken out in a single-storey warehouse
‘Upon arrival, crews discovered a fire in a single storey storage workshop located away from the filming set. Firefighters equipped with breathing apparatus used three hose reels and a main jet to extinguish the fire.
‘Firefighters were on the scene for approximately four hours and 35 minutes. An investigation will take place to determine the cause of the fire.’
Filming was stopped for about an hour before resuming.
It comes just days after a horse died of a suspected heart attack while filming a major battle scene for the series.
Cast and crew were left ‘in pieces’ after the March 25 tragedy at Shottesbrooke Park in Maidenhead, Berkshire.
Big budget: The second series of The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power started filming in Berkshire earlier this year and is expected to be released in 2024
Sir Lenny Henry in a promotional poster for the series. It is set thousands of years before the events involving Frodo and is based on appendices written by Tolkien
The series, which is based on Tolkien’s appendices to Lord Of The Rings, cost Amazon £1billion to make and premiered in 2022
The horse was one of 100 charging towards a camera while rehearsing a battle scene. It was wearing full regalia and had a rider on its back, although he is not thought to have been badly injured.
READ MORE HERE: Cast of Lord Of The Rings TV spin-off are left in tears as horse suffers a heart attack during filming of a 100-strong charge scene
It was later determined the horse had suffered a cardiac arrest.
Filming was immediately suspended on the Amazon Prime Video series and some staff sent home, although production had resumed by the end of last week.
The first series of the prequel to Tolkien’s Lord Of The Rings, which was released last year, reportedly cost Amazon £1billion and five series are expected to be made.
Last year’s season, which starred Lenny Henry as Sadoc Burrows and Swedish-born Welsh actress Morfydd Clark as Galadriel, aired on Amazon Prime Video last year, attracting more than 25million views in its first couple of days – a record for the platform.
Filming for the second series, developed by American screenwriting duo J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay, began last October in Bray, near Maidenhead.
It was recently announced that Ciaran Hinds, Rory Kinnear and Tanya Moodie had joined the cast too.
It is set thousands of years before the events involving Frodo and is based on appendices written by Tolkien.
Source: Read Full Article
