Rockstar North Building Cordoned Off Following Boiler Room Explosion

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The gaming community was shaken up this week when Rockstar North, the studio behind the popular Grand Theft Auto series and the upcoming GTA 6, experienced an accidental explosion at their Scottish office this past Sunday, January 18th.

The event happened at a busy time for the studio and quickly spread concern throughout the industry. Everyone, from fans to people in the local community, was worried about the staff’s well-being and the condition of the building.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service responded to a reported explosion in a boiler room early Monday morning, January 19th, according to the Scottish Herald and Edinburgh Live. Because the building is owned by a well-known international developer, the emergency response on Holyrood Road quickly attracted global attention.

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said they received a call around 5:00 AM about an incident at the Rockstar North studio on Holyrood Road in Edinburgh. Seven fire engines were sent to the scene, and emergency services quickly created a safety zone by blocking off the building and nearby areas to protect the public from any further risks.

Firefighters immediately began working to fix damage to the building’s structure when they arrived. They stayed for about three hours, checking for safety issues and making sure the building was stable inside.

Seven fire engines responded to the incident, and officials quickly secured the area.

I was really relieved to hear that everyone was okay after the fire! Apparently, the fire department sent three fire trucks and some extra specialists to the building. They had to work on making sure the structure was safe, but thankfully, officials said no one was hurt. It’s such a relief when these things happen and everyone gets out safe.

We still don’t know the precise cause of the incident, and a thorough investigation is ongoing to pinpoint exactly what went wrong. However, initial reports from the Scottish Herald and Edinburgh Live indicate a faulty boiler was likely responsible.

The problem seems to have begun with the building’s heating system, which then caused security alarms to go off and prompted an emergency response.

Rockstar Has Yet to Comment on the Incident

As of today, Rockstar Games and its parent company, Take-Two Interactive, haven’t officially commented on the explosion or how much damage it caused. However, initial reports suggest the incident probably won’t delay the development of the next Grand Theft Auto game.

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Rockstar Games is finishing up development on GTA 6, a game fans have been eagerly awaiting. It’s faced a lot of pressure and its release date has changed several times, but it’s now officially scheduled to come out on November 19th.

Everyone is incredibly excited for this new game – it’s been 13 years since Grand Theft Auto 5 came out! Although a recent accidental explosion was scary, thankfully no one was hurt and emergency services in Edinburgh responded quickly. This means the studio working on the game – which is expected to be a huge cultural event – will be able to get back to work soon, with the game planned for release this November.

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2026-01-19 17:39