A close but fortunate call, as just after 1 p.m. Japan time today (which would be late yesterday in North America due to time zones) emergency services responded to a fire that broke out at Nintendo’s Kyoto headquarters on the third floor. As reported by NHK and translated by VGC, by the time firefighters had arrived, employees had managed to put out the fire themselves. Desks and chairs in one room were partially burned by the fire, but nobody was injured.
Investigation into the cause of the fire is ongoing, though the preliminary report claims it could have been an electrical fire due to a device being charged, a commonplace and banal accident. It could also have something to do with Japan’s record summer in terms of severe heat, with the country experiencing fourteen days of temperatures over 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit).
It was only a month ago when Nintendo outlined earthquake safety protocols, and the company may be keen to offer a bit more on fire safety in the wake of this near miss. Efforts like data backups and multiple operating partners mean that disruption to Nintendo’s work is hopefully minimal in the case of any disaster (natural or otherwise) – but let’s hope even more that such disasters don’t occur in the first place.
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Written by Amelia Fruzzetti
A writer and Nintendo fan based in Seattle, Washington. When not working for NinWire, she can be found eating pasta, writing stories, and wondering about when Mother 3 is finally going to get an official localization.
