{{short description|Fire of lacquer disc manufacturing plant}} {{Redirect|Apollo Masters|the chipset named Apollo Master|List of VIA chipsets}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}} {{Infobox event | title = Apollo Masters Corp. Fire | image = | image_upright = | image_alt = | caption = | native_name = | native_name_lang = | english_name = | time = | duration = {{duration|h=3}} | date = {{start date|2020|02|06}} | venue = Apollo Masters Corporation | location = 101 W. Lincoln St.<br/>Banning, California, USA | coordinates = {{coord|33.9221|-116.8773|type:event_region:US-CA|display=inline,title}} | also_known_as = | type = | theme = | cause = Undetermined | motive = | target = | first_reporter = | budget = | patron = <!-- or |patrons= --> | organisers = <!-- or |organizers= --> | filmed_by = | participants = | outcome = Temporary closure of Apollo Masters | casualties1 = | casualties2 = | casualties3 = | reported deaths = None | reported injuries = None | reported missing = | reported property damage = | burial = | inquiries = | inquest = | coroner = | arrests = | suspects = | accused = | convicted = | charges = | trial = | verdict = | convictions = | sentence = | publication_bans = | litigation = | awards = | url = | blank_label = <!-- or |blank_data= --> | blank1_label = <!-- or |blank1_data= --> | blank2_label = <!-- or |blank2_data= --> | website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} --> | notes = }} The '''Apollo Masters Corporation fire''' occurred on February 6, 2020, in Banning, California. Apollo Masters was the only U.S. based manufacturing plant for producing lacquer discs used in pressing vinyl records. The destruction of the plant caused a ripple effect throughout the vinyl record industry, as it left only one operating lacquer plant in the world.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Cross|first=Alan|date=February 16, 2020|title=If you're into vinyl, there might be tough times ahead: Alan Cross|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/6547113/vinyl-records-plant-fire-california-alan-cross/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217002751/https://globalnews.ca/news/6547113/vinyl-records-plant-fire-california-alan-cross/ |archive-date=2020-02-17 |access-date=2020-06-16|website=Global News|language=en}}</ref>
== The fire == The fire began just before 8 a.m., setting off three fire alarms and five or six explosions from within the building. The cause of the fire is presently undetermined. The inferno required eighty-two firefighters to extinguish it, spanning a total of three hours.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|last=Roberts|first=Randall|date=2020-02-14|title=How a fire in the Inland Empire could spell doom for the worldwide vinyl LP boom|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2020-02-14/apollo-masters-fire-vinyl-lacquer|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200215093745/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2020-02-14/apollo-masters-fire-vinyl-lacquer |archive-date=2020-02-15 |access-date=2020-06-16|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref> Despite this, Banning High School which was not too far from the incident was not evacuated, and no staff nor students were harmed.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Three-alarm building fire in Banning blocks Highway 243; businesses evacuated due to chemical concerns |url=https://www.desertsun.com/story/news/fires/2020/02/06/banning-building-fire-blocks-highway-243-south-interstate-10/4678543002/ |access-date=2023-06-05 |website=The Desert Sun |language=en-US}}</ref> In addition, while the building suffered complete destruction, none of the employees were injured.<ref name=":1" />
== Effect on record industry == Before the fire, Apollo Masters was one of two factories worldwide to manufacture lacquer discs to be shipped to vinyl mastering studios. There, the blank lacquer would be cut from the master tape or digital source recording to produce a master from which metal molds are produced, for use in pressing the vinyl records. With the destruction of Apollo Masters, producing lacquer discs fell solely to a small Japanese company, MDC (ja). This caused a significant strain on the industry, as Apollo Masters was responsible for 70-85% of lacquer production.<ref name=":1">{{Cite magazine|last=Blistein|first=Jon|date=2020-02-18|title='This Is Disastrous': How the Vinyl Industry Is Responding to the Apollo Masters Fire|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/pro/news/vinyl-industry-apollo-masters-fire-951903/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200613050532/https://www.rollingstone.com/pro/news/vinyl-industry-apollo-masters-fire-951903/ |archive-date=2020-06-13 |access-date=2020-06-16|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web|last=Grant|first=Kristin Westcott|date=March 6, 2020|title=Out Of The Apollo Masters Fire Emerges The Vinyl Record Manufacturers Association Of North America|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristinwestcottgrant/2020/03/06/out-of-the-apollo-masters-fire-emerges-the-vinyl-record-manufacturers-association-of-north-america/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200307175017/https://www.forbes.com/sites/kristinwestcottgrant/2020/03/06/out-of-the-apollo-masters-fire-emerges-the-vinyl-record-manufacturers-association-of-north-america/ |archive-date=2020-03-07 |access-date=2020-06-16|website=Forbes|language=en}}</ref> As a result of the strain, orders became backlogged and delayed, with priority falling to countries with bigger volumes of orders, such as the United Kingdom and the United States.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|last=Cross|first=Alan|date=16 May 2021|title=A pandemic bright spot: Sales of vinyl records have exploded in Canada|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/7855057/vinyl-record-sales-canada/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-06-28|website=Global News|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516140708/https://globalnews.ca/news/7855057/vinyl-record-sales-canada/ |archive-date=2021-05-16 }}</ref> Rebuilding of the facility is uncertain, as it would require hazardous waste remediation and navigating California's environmental laws.<ref name=":2" />
With a decrease in lacquer production, some vinyl pressing plants turned to alternate means of producing records, including direct metal mastering, a costly method of producing records with copper instead of lacquer.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=Lotus|first=Jean|date=February 20, 2020|title=Vinyl record production hurt by California factory fire|url=https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2020/02/20/Vinyl-record-production-hurt-by-California-factory-fire/4601582093769/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200220225356/https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2020/02/20/Vinyl-record-production-hurt-by-California-factory-fire/4601582093769/ |archive-date=2020-02-20 |access-date=2020-06-16|website=UPI|language=en}}</ref>
The fire also brought together the vinyl industry community, resulting in the creation of Vinyl Record Manufacturers Association of North America (VRMA), devoted to strengthening the industry.<ref name=":0" /> Around fifty companies are involved with the association, working together to increase the amount of lacquer production plants and prevent a repeat of any event similar to the Apollo Masters fire.<ref name=":3" />
==References== {{reflist}}
Category:2020 fires in the United States Category:Industrial fires and explosions in the United States Category:Banning, California Category:2020 in California