This is from Yahoo News (it's an Associated Press story)

Wallace & Gromit' Archive Ruined in Fire
Tue Oct 11,11:39 AM ET
BRISTOL, England - Fire destroyed a priceless archive of Aardman Animations props, sets and models early Monday, just hours after the company learned that its animated clay movie stars Wallace and Gromit had topped the U.S. box office.

The blaze gutted an Aardman warehouse in this western English city. On Sunday, "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" finished No. 1 in the United States on its opening weekend. It grossed $16.1 million in ticket sales.

"Today was supposed to be a day of celebration, with the news that Wallace and Gromit had gone in at number one at the U.S. box office, but instead our whole history has been wiped out," Aardman spokesman Arthur Sheriff said. "It's turned out to be a terrible day."

The Avon Fire and Rescue service said the roof and three interior walls of the Victorian warehouse collapsed. The cause of the fire was being investigated.

To read the entire article:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051011/...___gromit_fire