Village Roadshow studio fire at Oxenford during 2004 filming of House of Wax on Gold Coast

An accident involving a candle caused an enormous blaze which destroyed a $10m building on the northern Gold Coast, bringing traffic to a halt. WHAT REALLY HAPPENED

The Gold Coast has long been a popular location for filmmakers.

In recent years we’ve seen lights, camera and action on major blockbusters like Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, Thor: Ragnarok and Pirates of the Caribbean.

But in early decades, during the 1990s and early 2000s, the films made here tended to be lower-budget sci-fi or genre projects like 1992’s Fortress, 1994’s Street Fighter, 1996’s The Phantom and 2002’s Scooby-Doo.

More than any other, the filming of 2005’s House of Wax would become infamous for the mark it would leave on the city – the complete destruction of a sound stage at Oxenford’s Village Roadshow.

The blaze occurred on the set of the film House of Wax. Picture: Mike Batterham

The event, which occurred 20 years ago last week, shocked many on the Gold Coast who even today well-remember the flames and smoke soaring into the night’s sky around 6.30pm on Saturday, June 27, 2004.

Explosions rang out from the building as it was engulfed by flames.

More than 50 firemen from 11 crews fought the fire, with pumps brought from Brisbane to try and bring it under control.

Ash caused by the fire was found falling on cars nearly half a kilometre from the scene.

Melbourne tourist Nick Stambank, then-20, witnessed the blaze.

“We were driving back along the highway from Brisbane and we could see it glowing through its roof,’’ he said at the time.

Fire crews came from across the region to fight the fire. Picture: Geoff McLachlan

“As the fire broke through the roof, there was the biggest explosion. One side of the wall began collapsing.’’

The $10m Studio 8 soundstage, where House of Wax was being filmed, was totally destroyed and investigators soon discovered the fire had begun during the film of a scene involving a giant candle.

Production spokeswoman Fiona Searson told media on the day that star Paris Hilton had not been in the building at the time, having already flown back to the US

“We had been filming a burning sequence and, even though all precautions had been taken and even though we had firemen on set with us, the fire did get out of hand,’’ she said at the time.

The studio was consumed by the fire Picture: Michael Ross

One of the camera assistants working on the movie said the fire started in the set of a bookshop and spread quickly.

“Once we got out of the stage it all sort of went up pretty quickly - it didn’t take very long at all - in a matter of minutes the whole stage and the roof and everything was up in flames and the walls collapsed,’’ he told media at the time.

Investigating officer Gordon Humphrey revealed the building had to be dismantled piece by piece to determine how it spread so quickly.

“We’re not expecting to get much physical evidence from the scene itself because the building and everything in it was destroyed.

Inside the wrecked studio. Picture: Michael Ross

“We will be relying on witness accounts and on the film which was being shot at the time it happened.

“They were filming a special-effects scene using molten wax and gas blowers. It seems it got out of hand.’’

Premier Peter Beattie and Arts Minister Anna Bligh visited the scene and vowed the studio would be rebuilt, while also unveiling plans for at least two new films would be made on the Gold Coast in the years following.

Premier Peter Beattie and Arts and Entertainment Minister Anna Bligh inspected what was left of sound studio eight. Picture: Richard Webb.

The film was release in mid-2005 to poor reviews.

But that wasn’t the end to the saga – in February 2006 Village Roadshow launched a $7m lawsuit against Wax Productions and special effects expert David Fletcher over the fire over the blaze.

They argued claims of negligence and a failure to have fighters on standby.