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Huge fire destroys James Bond studio

30/07/2006

The James Bond 007 film stage at Pinewood studios at Iver Heath in Buckinghamshire has been completed destroyed by a massive fire.

Media reports suggest that at least eight fire engines and over 60 firefighters were required to quell the fire, which sent a large cloud of dark black smoke into the sky.

At the time of the blaze the stage had been decked out as a replica of Venice for a scene in the latest movie in the Bond franchise, Casino Royale.

Arson has been ruled out by Thames Valley police, while filming was not taking place at the time of the fire, Pinewood said.

"We do not know the extent of the damage to the 007 stage although it is believe to be significant," Pinewood were quoted as saying by the Bloomberg news agency.

"Filming was not taking place on the 007 stage when the fire broke out. A production had completed filming and its film sets were in the process of being removed."

Today's massive fire is not the first time Pinewood's James Bond stage has been destroyed in a blaze.

The stage, originally built in 1977 for The Spy Who Loved Me starring Roger Moore, burned to the ground in 1984 following its rebuilding for A View To A Kill.

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