Lord of the Rings set is in ruins after studio fire
Photos show damage to the roof of a ground floor warehouse that caught fire earlier today on the Rings of Power set in Windsor, Berkshire.
Aerial photos show the backlot in ruins with a gaping hole in the roof and charred rubble inside.
It comes after firefighters were called to Bray Studios just before 12.30am, where the second season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is being filmed.
Photos on social media showed thick black smoke billowing from the site near Maidenhead, with reports of multiple fire engines battling the blaze in a ground-floor warehouse.
The second series of The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power began 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 earlier today on the Rings of Power set in Windsor, Berkshire
Aerial photos show the backlot with a gaping hole in the roof and charred rubble can be seen inside
It comes after firefighters were called just before 12:30am to Bray Studios, where the second season of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is filming
The second series of The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power began filming in Berkshire earlier this year and is expected to be released in 2024
An intricate castle set had been built on the site, with Celtic-style knotted towers and covered passageways, similar to those previously seen in the elven town of Lindon.
There was also a courtyard built around a water feature next to an arch that had delicate decoration.
Some images show staff members and the cast, including some dressed as orcs, outside watching fire crews try to stop the inferno from spreading.
A spokesman for the Royal Berkshire Fire And Rescue Service said: ‘On Monday 3 April at 12:26pm 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 halted
The Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service said it sent crews from three stations to the blaze. Pictured: A fire truck heading to Bray Studios near Maidenhead
The fire broke out at a filming location where producers built an intricate castle set (pictured)
Firefighters on scene at Bray Studios where fire was discovered in a ground floor warehouse
Three crew members were dispatched to the scene of the fire and began to bring the fire, which had broken out in a ground floor warehouse, under control
“Upon arrival, the crews discovered a fire in a single-story storage workshop away from the film set. Firefighters equipped with breathing apparatus used three fire hose reels and a main jet to extinguish the fire.
Firefighters were on scene for approximately four hours and 35 minutes. There will be an investigation to determine the cause of the fire.’
Filming was halted 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 began filming in Berkshire earlier this year and is expected to be released in 2024
Sir Lenny Henry in an advertising poster for the series. Set thousands of years before the events of Frodo, it is based on appendices written by Tolkien
Based on Tolkien’s supplements to Lord Of The Rings, the series cost Amazon £1 billion to make and will premiere in 2022
The horse was one of 100 to charge at a camera while rehearsing a battle scene. He was in full regalia and had a rider on his back, although he would not have been seriously injured.
It was later determined that the horse had suffered cardiac arrest.
Filming on the Amazon Prime Video series was immediately halted and some staff sent home, although production had resumed late last week.
The first series of the prequel to Tolkien’s Lord Of The Rings, released last year, reportedly cost Amazon £1 billion and five series are expected to be made.
Last year’s season, starring Lenny Henry as Sadoc Burrows and Swedish-born actress Morfydd Clark as Galadriel, aired last year on Amazon Prime Video and attracted more than 25 million views in its first few days – a record for the platform.
Filming for the second series, developed by American screenwriting duo JD Payne and Patrick McKay, began last October in Bray, near Maidenhead.
It was recently announced that Ciaran Hinds, Rory Kinnear and Tanya Moodie had also joined the cast.
Set thousands of years before the events of Frodo, it is based on appendices written by Tolkien.