#1219 ... A Model Fire

Apologies for the angle of this shot ... it was taken from the car as I drove past ... delivering my daughter to the airport. This is Weta Workshops warehouse which has been used for filming the "miniature" shots for the LOTR movies. one bright spark reported that the flames were only 1 metre high ... YEAH RIGHT. [get it ???]
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An investigation is under way into a fire at a building used by Sir Peter Jackson's Weta Workshop. The building in the Wellington suburb of Kilbirnie was used to film scenes for the Lord of the Rings trilogy and King Kong.

The Rongotai Road property is owned by Portsmouth Miniatures Studio and was used by Weta Workshop to film the miniatures scenes for the movies. Two people were working in the building and two contractors were on the roof when the fire broke out about 3pm on Friday. Fourteen fire appliances and about 50 fire officers attended, as well as police and ambulance services.

A Radio New Zealand reporter at the scene said polystyrene was burning inside the building and the plastic skylights gave way, causing smoke to pour out of the roof. There has been moderate damage to the building and some of its contents. At the height of the fire, a thick black column of smoke could be seen from around Wellington and the Hutt Valley.