Today, a fire broke out in Nintendo's Kyoto office buildings, at the same time as a statistically significant hot summer in Japan, and police and fire departments are currently determining the cause of the fire.
Reports from Japanese media outlets state that the fire was discovered at about 1:00pm, and emergency services were called, however employees were able to contain and extinguish the fire before the police and fire departments showed up. As it was localised to the third floor, the flames partially destroyed the desks and chairs inside that specific room, and thankfully no one was harmed.
While the cause of the fire is not known at the time of writing, it is theorised that there was an electrical device being charged and there was some sort of fault leading to the fire starting. Moreover, Japan has been hit with severe weather this month, with a record-breaking 14 days this year that have seen temperatures surge to 35°C.
The heatwave has caused the government to urge citizens to use less electricity, excluding their air conditioning units, to stave off energy supply issues. Due to the closure of most nuclear power plants following the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the country predominantly uses liquefied natural gas imported from elsewhere in the world. As a result of the ongoing Russo-Ukraine war and according sanctions on fuels, this pressure on energy is a severe concern for Japanese citizens.
Topics: Nintendo