Portsmouth Miniatures Studio, the New Zealand studio where Weta Workshop planned to film miniatures for THE HOBBIT, caught on fire yesterday, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The facility was the same studio Weta used on THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy and KING KONG.

The fire resulted in no injuries and no productions were disrupted by the fire, which took three hours to extinguish. The cause and full extent of the damage are under investigation, however reports state that damage to the building is extensive.

Peter Jackson's Wingnut Films spokesman Matthew Dravitzki said that items of "commercial sensitivity" were stored at Portsmouth.