On this day in 1988, The Canberra Times featured a front page story about reports of a fire at the Capitol Cinema in Manuka.
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Two ACT Fire Brigade units were called to the cinema overnight to investigate a report of "the smell of petrol" during the screening of the controversial film The Last Temptation of Christ.
The area was thoroughly searched but the movie was not disrupted and the audience was unaware of the alarm. Firefighters did not discover any evidence of petrol fumes in or around the cinema.
A security guard said it had been a hoax call. Before the previous night's screening, Christian protesters held a prayer vigil outside the theatre.
A cinema staff member had said he was not bothered by the Christian demonstrators but had been concerned "radicals" would join in and cause trouble.
About 50 Christians bearing a cross and posters had gathered outside the cinema at 7pm and held a vigil of prayer and song until 9pm.
They made no attempt to stop people entering the cinema but handed out leaflets and copies of Good News by John (from The Good News Bible) "so people could read the truth as well as see the movie".
Mrs Dawn Casley-Smith from the O'Connor Uniting Church said they were praying for the film to fail.
"God will make the film a failure," she said.
"It will fizzle out."
At yesterday morning's screening a disgruntled lone protester had yelled "I'm a Christian. I'm a Christian."
Mrs Casley-Smith said no organised protest had been arranged for the morning screening and the evening protest had been arranged "at the last minute".
During the demonstration a police paddy wagon was on standby and two security guards kept protesters out of the foyer. Fifteen people attended the morning screening.