Interview taken from TV Choice 08-14 January 2000:

Go To Blazes
London's Burning returns to warm Sundays nights with a fire so fierce,
the real fire brigade want to use it to train their crews

Standby for the most spectacular blaze in the history of London's Burning. A fire so realistic, that fire brigade bosses are considering using it to train real-life firefighters.

Blue Watch face the ultimate test as they fight the inferno at a London hotel - and it took 120 real firefighters, 220 fire extinguishers, 60 bottles of propane, 200 metres of propane hose, 15 smoke and wind machines and 85 special effects crew to make it happen. Roger Kendall, the technical advisor explains: 'The scenes were shot over several days and were among the most challenging we've had to do. It was neccessary to have a large number of firefighters on standby to ensure everyone's safety. There were never fewer than 25 on set at any one time.'

Kendall is proud that everything viewers will see on screen was accomplished authentically. 'There are no computer effects here', he said 'We've achieved the kind of spectacular fire that wouldn't look out of place on the cinema screen, yet its been done on only a TV budget. I'm very pleased with the result.'

The blaze starts when the hotel owner, Graves (Robert Duncan, from Drop the Dead Donkey), fails to obey fire regulations. Lives are endangered when a lorry crashes outside the hotel and the contents of its ruptured fuel tank spill out. A room full of revellers and Graves' own daughter are among those at risk when the building ignites.

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