Huge blaze breaks out at Warner Bros. UK studios where Harry Potter and James Bond blockbusters were filmed
- Fire broke out at Warner Bros. Studios in Hertfordshire at 11.30pm last night
- Emergency services are still at the scene battling flames this morning
- Fire believes to have started in an empty stage and no one was injured
A huge blaze broke out at Warner Bros. UK film studios last night where the James Bond and Harry Potter franchises have been filmed.
Around 75 firefighters rushed to the site in Leavesden, Hertfordshire, at around 11.30pm last night and are still at the scene today.
More than 15 fire engines are at the studios and it is understood the blaze began in one of the stages.
No one has been injured in the incident and the set was not being used at the time the fire broke out.
Firefighters are pictured at the scene at Warner Bros. Studios in Hertfordshire after a blaze broke out in a stage last night
Emergency services rushed to the studios at around 11.30pm last night, with locals reporting smoke billowing from the site, pictured
A spokesman for Hertfordshire County Council said: 'The fire and rescue service were called to reports of a fire at Warner Bros. Studios in Leavesden in Hertfordshire at 11.29pm on Wednesday 10 July.
'Fifteen fire engines, plus support vehicles, are currently in attendance at the scene and crews are tackling a fire in one of the stages there.
'The set was not being used at the time of the fire. There are no injuries.
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'The incident is ongoing.'
All eight Harry Potter films as well as other movies including James Bond, Fast and Furious and the Mission Impossible franchises have filmed at the studios.
Mark Hancock, who lives nearby, said: 'My house is only about 200m away from the perimeter fence and we have a clear line of sight over gardens so we managed to see it out one of our windows.
The studio, pictured, is a former World War II plane factory and was bought by Warner Bros. in 2010 and refurbished into a state of the art filming location
Tours appear to still be ongoing at the nearby Harry Potter attraction with customers saying on social media they have been told their visits can go ahead
'The smoke went high into the air, and as I watched, the smoke appeared to get thicker, so much so that we could see the flashing lights of the fire engines reflecting off the thick smoke
'It was still going strong at about 1am and when I woke up this morning it was still smouldering.'
The site - which covers almost 200 acres - was previously an aircraft factory called Leavesden Aerodrome that was central to production during World War II.
It was converted for film use in 1994 for Pierce Brosnan's first Bond film GoldenEye and has been a popular site for producers ever since.
Local residents in Hertfordshire said the area smelled strongly of smoke today as firefighters continued to battle the flames
Other films shot at the studios include Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Inception, Paddington, The Dark Knight and Bohemian Rhapsody.
The site is also near the Warner Bros. Studio Tour attraction which takes guests behind the scenes of the making of the Harry Potter series.
Guests today have been told tours are still going ahead and to turn up as normal.
A spokesman for Warner Bros would not comment on the fire other than to confirm it was ongoing. He said the public studio tours were unaffected and taking place as usual.
People living in the Abbots Langley and Leavesden area said they were woken up by a 'very strong' smell of smoke during the night.
A couple of photos taken during the night show a huge plume of smoke over the studios.
