Another Fire at Movie World

[coasterfreak]

Yesterday there was another Fire at Movie World... Thankfully not in the Theme Park but in one of the studios! For more, see below: News.com.au Neil

[Gazza]

I hope no one was hurt, In the report it said smoke was going onto the freeway, Flea would probably have been going along there on his way ot DW so maybe he can fill us in.

[Richard]

Studio Eight is one of the new ones too, so not only have they lost a whole sound stage, bt it's also one of the most recently built ones that the Queensland State Government coughed up a decent chunk to build as an attempt to get the state's film industry back on its feet. My question is about fire safety and the setup they've got working there. All the studios would be fitted with the standard sprinkler systems, and especially if there is a scene being filmed using fire, there would surely be more than one fire marshal on duty. What were they doing at the time, or were there some dodgy cost cutting measures in place? I can't see this as looking too good for the film industry in this state. What Sarah Michelle Gellar and Freddy Prinze Jr. started, it seems this fire has probably finished for them.

[thunder001]

^ Bit harsh about the fire marshal Richard. From all reports this was started from a large candell fire affect and I could only guess that the set was made from pine and foam rubber, as most sets are to reduce cost. That means if the fire fell onto the set up high from normal ground level, the fire would have spread so fast that even the sprinkler system would not have helped. And please remember that in most cases the sprinklers are only to slow the fire so that ppl can get out safe before the fire crews turn up. Also with the building haveing metal walls with sound proofing along the walls, in theory the building would act like a big oven. I really don't see anything stopping this fire after the flame reached the set. I do hope that the parks insurance will cover this as we need to get the movie industry revived in this state. Only time will tell.

[Richard]

Thankfully no one was severly injured, so I don't think there's any need to restrain personal opinions. Everything lost was material and easily replaced, so there's no harm in a bit of speculation. Well, as I suggested above, it has been reported that there was indeed a full fire crew on duty for the scene, as is the standard in the industry. I don't question at all that once it was well under way there'd be no real way of stopping it, but I'm questioning what these people were doing to let it get to this point. I think with little or no doubt that there was some definite negligence on the fire marshals' part.

[thunder001]

^ And this is coming from your years of fire experence??

[Richard]

Why make it personal? I simply stated what my opinions of the situation are. I fail to see what "fire experience" would disprove anything I said. I simply stated that something's definitely gone wrong on the fire crew's behalf to let it do what has happened. If you want to make it a discussion about fire dynamics, combustibility of the materials involved, the design of the building etc., then bring it on. Until then though, there's not too many faults you can find with what I've said thus far.

[joz]

Well, since everyone in the company got fire training within the last month, I dare say there was very little in terms of negligence from the staff involved. The fire from all accounts was fierce, and they did exactly what they should have done: Got their backsides out of there and let it burn. No point putting your life at risk by trying to combat a raging fire that will claim little else then some equipment. Sounds to me more like poor set design rather then cost cutting or anything along those lines. Still, sounds like bad news for the Aussie film industry. Hopefully this won't affect the upcoming schedule too much with a studio out of action.

[screammachine]

combustibility of the materials involved, the design of the building etc.,

A agree with Richard on that.. To a degree I have knowledge on firefighting and safety. I would have done the same being in that position .The structure fire would have burnt out most of the valuable material, and therefore there is no point sending in a structural fire unit being sent in, with the case you might loose them. You can alwys replace the gear but not your crew. And sometimes, its burn up most things and there is no point to save it. Which I think happened in this case. Screammachine

[Richard]

No point putting your life at risk by trying to combat a raging fire that will claim little else then some equipment.

All reports suggest that this wasn't an explosion or an abrubt moment where the thing burst into flames. The lighted item (a large candle, not sure if we're talking "oversized" and fueled by a method other than a wick and wax, such as gas etc., but I believe not) somehow caused the surrounding props to catch on fire and it spread from there. This would have been a somewhat gradual process, not something completely out of the blue and requiring. Consequently, there would have been a window of opportunity, however small (could have been two seconds, could have been ten minutes, no one could say without reports, which are yet to come), where this unintended blaze could have been extinguished or taken under control. There was a fire control team on duty at this moment in time. Their training would go far beyond the standard fire training they give other employees - they'd be certified, accredited fire fighters. Their only job at this point in time was to monitor the fire and ensure it was under control at all times. Because this started out as a very small flame, despite anything the set is made of, I would assume that there was enough time for someone to safely act and extinguish the blaze. These people would be armed with fire extinguishers at the very least don't forget. It seems that the employee training for everyone did pay of, and the single minor injury is surely a testiment to that. I'm not saying criminal negligence, but I am saying that there was likely a degree of negligence from the fire marshals. I haven't see them personally, but I believe some news reports have made specific mention to the investigation, and that the actions of the marshals will be key to this. Remember, we're not talking an "Oh crap, the candles have tipped over and the wall is now ablaze! Call 000!" They were standing right there, and I believe that, given the scarce information available at this stage, there would have almost definitely been a window of opportunity where this incident could have been prevented safely and easily. As more information is released, I'm happy to come back and say I was wrong, because I'm simply going by what we've been told.

[thunder001]

Not trying to make it personal at all Richard, but you stated and I quote "I think with little or no doubt that there was some definite negligence on the fire marshals' part.". What happens alot, and it is something I myself am guilty of, is that we jump to conclusions on what little information we have. Now that we have what seems to be the correct info from those who were there, it think it is safe to say that the fire marshals were in no way negligent and should be given a pat on the back for getting everyone out of the building in time. I direct you all to here to see what I am on about. Courier Mail So it was not as we first thought. I have to agree with Joz and just be thankfull that everyone got out and no lives were lost.

[Ian]

I didnt want to comment on this as I knew some guys working over there. But I need to clear some things up, for you guys. (1) yes there was a fire crew there for the shooting. (2) they were shooting a inferno scene and 2 american film crew had earlier in the week purchased loads of filming wax which is used for big burning scenes. What happen from what ive been told at work was there was a bookcase which was either placed wrong or fell the wrong way. which cause the chaos, and basically cause a donimo effect and the fire speard way too fast that the fire crew on set had no choice but to evacuate the studio. so its good that no one was hurt. and insurance is a great thing.

[Richard]

Not trying to make it personal at all Richard, but you stated and I quote "I think with little or no doubt that there was some definite negligence on the fire marshals' part.". What happens alot, and it is something I myself am guilty of, is that we jump to conclusions on what little information we have. Now that we have what seems to be the correct info from those who were there, it think it is safe to say that the fire marshals were in no way negligent and should be given a pat on the back for getting everyone out of the building in time. I direct you all to here to see what I am on about. Courier Mail So it was not as we first thought. I have to agree with Joz and just be thankfull that everyone got out and no lives were lost.

Negligence is about a failure to do everything reasonable in a situation. From what rabid said, regarding a book case doing something other than what is intended, this would suggest negligence. The person who would have ultimate say over the entire set would be those in control of the fire - it would be their responsibility to say that the setup is safe and there is no apparent danger, prior to anything being ignited. The flame was a gas burner (I said above that it wasn't clear about what it was based on early reports), and wax has come into contact with it, causing it to ignite. Linking this in with the book case, it sounds to me like the bookcase has fallen, hit the vat and caused it to spill wax which would ignite on contact with a hot gas flame. The right thing was certainly done after the fire had become an apparent danger in evacuating the sound stage, and I've said a few times already that at the end of the day no one was injured, the studio can and will be replaced, and the production wasn't even significantly delayed. But I stand by my opinion that there was some degree of negligence, because accidents don't just happen. As for jumping to conclusions, albeit prematurely. I see no harm in it and as you said, everyone does it. If I'm wrong, I'll be the first to admit it. I don't think it's anything to have a gripe with

[thunder001]

^ OK, fair point made in the fact that someone more than likely got it wrong, wether it was someone not constructing the set correctly etc. My point was simply that it was too soon to lay the fault on one person or group of ppl. It is plain and simple that something major went wrong with the safety procedure's that should be in place. Let me boar all of you for one second. At this time, almost all trades have to undergo some style of Risk Managment course, that relates to their trade/area of work. What this would have involved in this case was all the department heads within the production, getting together and outlining the risks involved to cast and crew while shooting this sceen. From that meeting a "Plan of Action" should have been drawn up to combat any problems that may arrise from the equipment in use, such as a fire evac plan etc, and who whould take part in the soulation to those problems. If this was done then the fire could be put down to a "freak accident" and no one is to blame. If not, then we could be almost sure that someone's head will roll so to speak. I only know this cause I have had to set through 4hrs of the course last night, not to mention another 3 course yet to go on the subject. Why? I am now the safety officer for the electrical company that I work for and it is my job to fill out this style of form on EVERY job we do. That adds to a hell of a lot more paperwork then I like, but it is now required in all trades in Qld. Hope this helps in any way!