MUMBAI: Portsmouth Miniatures Studio, a studio that also houses an effects business was damaged by a major fire in Wellington on Friday.

The studio that was used by Weta Workshop to film the miniatures scenes in the Lord Of The Rings trilogy and King Kong caught fire but no one was hurt in the fire and there were no films currently in production at the studios. 

Portsmouth is affiliated with NZ digital effects group, Weta but is not directly owned by Weta. However other reports say that it is owned by Rings and The Hobbit producer and director Peter Jackson.

It is said that the studio was to have been used for filming The Hobbit. The NZ press said the land and building are worth NZ$3.2 million ($2.2 million).