Filming of Lord of the Rings spin-off series in Windsor briefly halted because of studio fire

Filming on the second series of Lord Of The Rings spin-off The Rings Of Power was brought to a halt after an electric fire broke out in studio grounds in Windsor.

The Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service said it received reports after noon on Monday of a fire at Bray Studios in Berkshire.

The fire was discovered in a warehouse on the perimeter of the site's backlot site which briefly halted filming on the Amazon series as a precaution while firefighters responded.

The cast and crew did not have to evacuate the studio site and filming has continued, the PA news agency understands.

A statement from Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service said: "At 12:26pm on Monday 3 April, we received reports of a fire at Bray Studios near Windsor.

"Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service crews from Bracknell, Slough and Maidenhead fire stations were sent to the scene.

"Upon arrival, crews discovered a fire in a single-storey storage workshop located away from the filming set.

"Firefighters equipped with breathing apparatus used three hose reels and a main jet to extinguish the fire.

"Firefighters were on the scene for approximately four hours and 35 minutes.

"An investigation will take place to determine the cause of the fire."

The spin-off series, inspired by author JRR Tolkien's extended notes, was launched on Amazon streaming service Prime Video last year.

Set thousands of years before the events of The Hobbit and The Lord Of The Rings books, the series follows the events of the Second Age and the forging of the famous rings.

Since landing on Prime Video in September, the first series - consisting of eight episodes - has been viewed by more than 100 million people, according to Amazon.

It starred Morfydd Clark, Robert Aramayo and Sir Lenny Henry.

The second series will also see Ciaran Hinds, Rory Kinnear and Tanya Moodie join the cast.