007 stage at Pinewood Studios to be demolished

The studio that contained the James Bond film set which was gutted by fire will be demolished, a spokesman for Pinewood Shepperton plc confirmed today to 24Dash.

The building in Buckinghamshire did not have sprinklers fitted according to the spokesman for the film company who rents out the space.

The spokesman for Pinewood Shepperton plc said: "The inside will be cleared and rebuilding work will begin as quickly as possible. It is official - It will be knocked down."

It is too early to estimate the cost of the damage or the cause of the fire the spokesman said. No date has been set for demolition to begin.

During the fire on July 30 two cylinders containing acetylene gas exploded. The remaining 14 were removed by Pinewood. A 200m exclusion had been set up while water was sprayed on the cylinders.

The fire took up to 60 firefighters 90 minutes to bring under control.

Fraser Pearson, spokesman for Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "It was badly damaged inside and the temperature at the height of the fire in the tallest part of the building, before the roof collapsed, was probably between 500C and 1,000C. A lot of things melt at that temperature."

Mr Pearson said today the investigation into the cause of the blaze had now been completed and a formal report will be made to the company within "two to three weeks".

Work had recently finished on the 21st Bond movie, Casino Royale, which sees actor Daniel Craig step into the role of the famous 007 agent. The set was being dismantled at the time of the blaze.

Three people escaped uninjured from the 007 stage complex when the fire broke out.

Part of the corrugated metal warehouse's stage had been transformed into Venice for several scenes in the film.

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