2nd August 2006 - James Bond soundstage to be re-built - reports CBC.ca

A massive 007 soundstage that was used for the upcoming James Bond film will be gutted and re-built after a weekend fire.

Flames could be seen for many miles as the building - one of the largest of its kind in the world at 102 metres long, 41 metres wide and 12.5 metres high - burned Sunday morning at Pinewood Studios, about 20 miles west of London.

At least eight fire engines responded to the blaze. Witnesses said they heard two loud explosions just before the building caught fire. No one was injured.

Pinewood said the rest of the studio would be fully operational by the end of the day on Wednesday.

The building, which had burned down once before in 1984, held a huge recreation of Venice used in Casino Royale, starring Daniel Craig for the first time as British super spy Bond.

Shooting had been completed and the film set was in the process of being dismantled.

Pinewood Studios has a long association with Bond films, dating back to 1962's Dr. No. The soundstage was originally built for another Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me, in 1977.

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