Aardman warehouse burns down

Fire destroyed Aardman Animations’ props, sets and models in Bristol, England, early Monday, just hours after the company learned that its animated clay movie stars -- Wallace and Gromit -- had topped the U.S. box office.

On Sunday, “Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit” finished No. 1 on its opening weekend, grossing $16 million in ticket sales.

“Today was supposed to be a day of celebration, with the news that Wallace and Gromit had gone in at No. 1,” Aardman spokesman Arthur Sheriff said. “It’s turned out to be a terrible day.”

The Avon Fire and Rescue service said 60 firefighters battled flames 100 feet high that engulfed the warehouse in this western English city at around 5.30 a.m. Monday. “It looks like most of the contents of the building have been destroyed,” said a fire service spokeswoman. The cause of the fire was being investigated.

Sheriff said that although the warehouse contained sets, props and models from many of the company’s past productions, he did not expect the fire to affect the company’s future productions.

Wallace and Gromit’s creator, Nick Park, said the earthquake in South Asia helped put the loss into perspective.

“Even though it’s precious and nostalgic stuff and valuable to the company, in light of other current tragedies in the news, it’s not a big deal,” he said in a statement.