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That Other Fire

100 Years of Elstree Studios - Part Eleven

Ribbon of Dreams

In Part Four of this series we showed the results of the devastating fire of 1936 which changed the direction of the film industry in Borehamwood.  But did you know there was another serious studio fire not that long ago?  Thanks to the Paul Welsh Archive we find out that on the evening of Wednesday 24th January 1979 a fire in Studio 3 broke out, and all the studio buildings were evacuated. Being filmed at the time were Star Wars - The Empire Fights Back, and The Shining.  15 fire appliances and 100 firemen were called for from Hertfordshire and London, including an 85 ft. hydraulic platform from St Albans.  The fire got into the roof of Studio 3 which was gutted, but the rest of the studios were saved. 

Although there were no major actors at the studios - filming having finished for the day - director Stanley Kubrick watched as some of the sets for The Shining were destroyed, including the Overlook Hotel entrance and staircase.  He was working next door in Studio 4 at the time.   Overall the damage was estimated at £1∙5 million (nearly £10 million today). No-one was sure what caused the fire.