Some breaking news via Stuff.co.nz. A huge cloud of smoke engulfed a Hobbit film set on the Miramar Peninsula when a generator caught fire.
Ed Scragg, who saw the fire from a Roseneath home on the other side of Evans Bay, said clouds of smoke engulfed a lighting tower on the set which has been built on land close to the old Mt Crawford Prison.
The lights went out and then came back on again, said Mr Scragg who said a number of fire trucks were seen racing to the scene.
The fire broke out just before nightfall at 5pm.
The fire service said they had to send several fire engines to the scene because it was not close to a water supply.
The fire engulfed a diesel fuel tank and generator and took about 20 minutes to put out.
”It definitely wasn’t theatrical smoke,” the fire service spokeswoman said.
The fire was at the scene of the gutted citadel film set.
It was understood to represent Dale, the town of men under Lonely Mountain, which gets scorched by Smaug the dragon and buildings on the set, built in a patch of bush, were made to look as though they had been gutted by fire.
Update: TVNZ offers a few more details. Most importantly, they report that no-one was injured in the blaze.
TVNZ says that the fire occurred on an old military track near the site of the old Mt Crawford prison. Four fire engines and a command vehicle responded, putting out the fire in the shipping-container-sized generator without any injuries.
TVNZ says the woodland area is understood to be being used for night filming.
