Kyoto Animation CEO Details Materials Lost in Company's Deadly Fire

Kyoto Animation, one of the most popular anime studios in the industry, was recently the victim of a deadly arson that resulted in a major loss of life for the company. It's going to take a while to recover, and new reports for the damages and casualties are still coming to light as of this writing. Kyoto Animation's president Hideaki Hatta recently spoke with the Japanese mass media, and detailed much of the materials lost in the fire.

Hatta revealed that everything in the 1st Studio, which was the focus of the arson, was destroyed in the fire. Meaning that all paper, materials, and computers being stored in the 1st Studio building has been lost.

Hatta explained that past works which the studio only had physical or on-site digital copies of were completely lost. It was also confirmed that Kyoto Animation's other three studio locations across Japan were not affected as of this writing. Speaking to the press, Hatta is understandably distraught over the event, "I am deeply heartbroken. I can't bear it. I never even in my dreams would have thought such a large disaster would happen...This is a serious blow to our company and our industry. Every one of them was an excellent and wonderful colleague."

On July 18th at around 10:30 AM JST, Kyoto Animation's 1st Studio was struck by a tragic fire. Reports have indicated that the fire has resulted in over 30 casualties, and over 30 injured as of this writing. With 30 fire engines responding to the fire, firefighters were able to completely extinguish the fire five hours after in began. The fire is reportedly being investigated as an arson, and the suspect responsible has reportedly been identified. Kyoto Animation president Hideaki Hatta is also considering erecting a memorial park in the place of the tragedy. ComicBook.com will continue to share updates as the story develops, and our thoughts are with everyone affected by this tragedy.

Originally started in 1981, Kyoto Animation Studio has become known worldwide for its work on creating popular anime television series such as K-On!, Free!, Full Metal Panic, and more. It has also created a number of animated films such as A Silent Voice, K-On! The Movie, and Free! Take Your Marks to name a few. Noted as the "first successful animation studio outside of Tokyo," Kyoto Animation has a long history within the industry and we hope that its history will continue into the future.

via Sponichi