MANY a James Bond film has climaxed with spectacular explosions and a raging fire. Yesterday life imitated art when several explosions and a blaze wrecked the cavernous warehouse at Pinewood Studios, where 18 Bond films have been made since 1962.

Sixty firefighters tackled the blaze that engulfed the 007 stage at the Buckinghamshire studios. The set of the latest Bond production, Casino Royale, was wrecked. The cause of the fire, which broke out shortly before 11.30am, was unknown, but several cylinders of flammable gas exploded.

Vast plumes of black smoke billowed from the roof of the warehouse with “007” marked on its side. The smoke drifted across the M40 and M25 and could be seen from miles away. The roof of the grey-painted building, which has provided film-makers with more than 45,000 sq ft (4,180 sq m) of stages, was badly charred.

The warehouse’s corrugated steel walls were buckled and blackened. All that remained of the “Albert R. Broccoli 007” sign on the outside was the digit “0”.

Inside, props and stunt equipment — as well as a set recreating Venice, where part of the film is based — were destroyed. Filming on the 21st Bond film, due for release on November 17, had finished only last week. First reports suggested that the cost of rebuilding the warehouse would be about £20 million.

Fraser Pearson, a spokesman for the Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “It is a complete mess. I would say the whole building has been damaged by the fire. It is still smoking quite badly.”

A large tank of diesel fuel stored near by made tackling the blaze more dangerous.

Toby Pawson, 19, a student from Epsom, Surrey, saw the fire. “There were huge jets of flame and thick black smoke coming out of the air vents on the top of the building,” he said. “It looked amazingly dramatic — just like you would expect from a Bond movie.”

Casino Royale, starring Daniel Craig in his debut as the suave spy, was shot largely in the Czech Republic rather than on 007’s home turf. Until this Bond film, nearly every one since 1962 had been produced at Pinewood.

The fire — a year after that at Aardman Animations’ Bristol warehouse — is a huge blow for Pinewood, whose profits have slumped from £12.9 million in 2004 to £5.3 million last year. US film-makers hesitated about crossing the Atlantic amid uncertainty about tax issues.

ON THE 007 SET

A car chase in Goldfinger’s factory and Spectre island in From Russia With Love were filmed using buildings around the studios