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Fire at ‘Hogwarts Hall’

Firefighters put out a blaze at the real-life dining hall at Oxford University featured in Harry Potter films.

Harry Potter fans got a scare on Saturday after Oxford University's Christ Church Hall, the grand dining hall at Hogwarts school, caught fire after an unfortunate incident with a hot plate. Four fire trucks arrived on the scene to put the fire out, as witnesses described massive clouds of black smoke around the building. It’s not yet clear how extensive the damage is, but the fire reportedly burned for about an hour before being extinguished around 2 p.m. The fire started when a hot plate used for serving food caught fire. The building shot to fame after appearing in Harry Potter films, with an influx of tourists credited to the film franchise. The stone stairway leading into the hall has been used repeatedly in the film franchise for shots of the Hogwarts entrance, and Christ Church Hall was eventually replicated by filmmakers to make shooting easier.