Toronto’s soundstage shortage has worsened with news that 54,000 square feet of retrofitted studio space in nearby Oshawa has been lost to an industrial fire.

Barb Chupa, manager of Farewell Studios, confirmed that the studio, affectionately known as ‘the sugar shack’ as it was once a sugar refinery, burned down on Aug. 6.

The studio, which boasted an 85-foot freestanding ceiling, was consumed by fire caused by newsprint, which was being stored for recycling, going up in flames.

The inferno has left producers scrambling for alternative large sound stages with a free-standing ceiling as Pinewood Toronto Studios’ 46,000 square foot mega-stage is being used by the ABC series Happy Town.