Warner Bros. Studios Near London Hit by Fire

HBO's space comedy 'Avenue 5' by 'Veep' creator Armando Iannucci had been filming at the location.

A fire at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden outside London, which started late Wednesday, was contained by fire police, authorities said early on Thursday.

No casualties were reported, with the fire hitting a soundstage that was not in use. HBO's space comedy by Veep creator Armando Iannucci had been filming at the location. HBO said in a statement that, "Production continues as the producers and writers assess the best plan to complete filming of the final two episodes of the series."

"The Chief Fire Officer has confirmed that the fire which occurred on one of our sound stages, being used by the television production Avenue 5, has been fully extinguished," the Leavesden studio said in a statement. "Our principal concern is always people’s safety and we would like to thank Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Services for all their hard work in containing the situation. All productions were able to continue working and the Studio Tour was unaffected."

Iannucci added, "On behalf of the entire cast and crew of Avenue 5, I want to thank the firefighters who’ve been working tirelessly throughout the night to keep everyone and everything safe. I send my thoughts to the residents in the area who were disturbed by the night’s events. It was a beautiful set but everyone’s safety is the main priority. The season is near completion and everyone is determined to carry on."

The Harry Potter movies were shot at Leavesden, which now houses the Potter studio tour, which has not been affected by the fire. Early Thursday afternoon local time, the council in the region updated the situation, saying: "Eighteen fire engines and support vehicles tackled the fire. Three jets and one aerial ladder platform were in use. A number of fire engines are still at the scene, but the fire is now out."

Warner took over the facility in 2012. The company said at the time that Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden is "the first of its kind to be built in the U.K. in 70 years” and "secures the future of over a third of the dedicated major feature film production stage space in the U.K. and helps further position the country as a center of filmmaking excellence."

July 11, 10:55 am PST. Updated throughout with statements from HBO, Iannucci and the studio.