With an investigation ongoing, authorities are offering an up to $5,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in a fire last week that damaged the Madison Mallards (summer collegiate; Northwoods League) team store. (more…)
Tag Archives | fire
Arson charges follow Civic Stadium fire
A sad aftermath to last week’s tragic fire at Civic Stadium, former home to pro baseball in Eugene (Oregon): four boys are now facing several charges, including first-degree arson and reckless endangerment, after their first court appearance. (more…)
Small fire damages Miller Park
A fire in Miller Park’s Friday’s Front Row Sports Grill will cause minor changes to game-day operations for tonight’s Milwaukee Brewers game. The fire, which began in the left-field Friday’s Front Row Sports Grill kitchen and made its way through that corner of the ballpark via ductwork, started around 2 a.m., with fire crews immediately […]
Whitecaps unveil 2014-2015 ballpark improvements
Turning some lemons into lemonade, the West Michigan Whitecaps (Low Class A; Midwest League) ownership unveiled ballpark improvements for this season and next. The improvements for this season addresses the portion of the ballpark damaged by a January fire, which damaged the first-base-line concourse and the home clubhouse below. The new concourse concession space will […]
Fifth Third Ballpark restoration begins
Work has begun on the cleanup of Fifth Third Ballpark, home of the West Michigan Whitecaps (Low Class A; Midwest League), after a fire destroyed 12 suites, a popular concourse and other ballpark space. The cleanup involves saving what can be saved — mostly in the lower level of the ballpark — while tearing down […]
Fifth Third fire brings back memories of past ballpark blazes
Ballpark fires are extreme rare these days, but at one time were a major threat to baseball operations. Jesse Goldberg-Strassler looks at how ballpark design changed because of fire awareness. On January 3, a fire significantly damaged Fifth Third Ballpark, home of the Midwest League’s West Michigan Whitecaps. Thankfully, no one was injured. Photographs of […]
Fire at Fifth Third Ballpark caused by space heater
An unsupervised space heater and problems with the sprinkler system led to the fire at Fifth Third Ballpark, home of the West Michigan Whitecaps (Low Class A; Midwest League). The seven-page report from the Plainfield Township fire investigators provided a detailed look at what happened. In all, the fire that destroyed 12 suites and a […]
Did sprinkler failure contribute to Fifth Third Ballpark fire?
The potential failure of a sprinkler system may have contributed to the fire Saturday at Fifth Third Ballpark, home of the West Michigan Whitecaps (Low Class A; Midwest League), as fire officials and insurance investigators determine exactly what happened. Investigators are focused on the potential failure of the sprinkler as a contributing factor to the […]
Second small fire put out at Fifth Third Ballpark this morning
A second small fire that was rekindled after a major blaze at Fifth Third Ballpark, home of the West Michigan Whitecaps (Low Class A; Midwest League), was put out by fire crews today. The small fire, which was started by smouldering remains, was put out around 8 a.m. this morning. One additional casualty of the […]
Baxter: We’ll rebuild Fifth Third Ballpark in time for season opener
After the suite level down the first-base line at Fifth Third Ballpark burned down midday, West Michigan Whitecaps (Low Class A; Midwest League) CFO Denny Baxter vows to rebuild the ballpark before the start of the season. “We’re going to be playing baseball again come (April 8) this year,” Baxter said at a press conference […]
Fire breaks out at Fifth Third Ballpark UPDATED!
Firefighters are combating a fire at Fifth Third Ballpark, home of the West Michigan Whitecaps (Low Class A; Midwest League), after a blaze started in the team office and spread to the suites. Firefighters originally started fighting the fire inside the ballpark around 11 a.m., but moved their efforts outside after the fire spread beyond […]
Pfitzner Stadium hit by fire
A fire broke out at Pfitzner Stadium, home of the Potomac Nationals (High Class A; Carolina League), sending one employee to the hospital and damaging team offices. The fire was limited to the team’s second-floor administrative offices. At first a gas leak was reported to the local fire department, but by the time they arrived […]