A 67-year-old minor league baseball stadium in Spokane, Washington was engulfed in flames and smoke after a fire erupted in the concession stands early Friday morning.
No injuries have been reported, but the devastating fire appears to have cost tens of thousands of dollars in damages to the Spokane Indians’ ballpark, Avista Stadium, according to Spokesman-Review reporter, Dave Nichols.
The fire broke out ahead of the first day of the Spokane County Interstate Fair. Local CBS affiliate KREM reports that all Fair-related events will take place as scheduled.
‘At approximately 2:55 a.m. on Friday, September 5, Spokane Valley Fire Department (SVFD) and City of Spokane Fire Department crews responded to reports of smoke and flames coming from a building in the 600 block of N. Havana Street,’ read a social media update from Spokane Valley Fire Department.
‘Arriving units found fire burning through the roof of a concessions building at Avista Stadium and quickly upgraded the call to a working fire.’
Ultimately the structure was compromised and firefighters were forced to escape before continuing to fight the blaze.
No injuries have been reported, but the devastating fire appears to have cost tens of thousands of dollars in damages to the Spokane Indians’ ballpark, Avista Stadium
Firefighters were forced to retreat as the concession stands began to collapse
One local reporter believes the fire resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in damages
Originally named Fairgrounds Ballpark when it was built for a Triple-A team in the Pacific Coast League, Avista stadium is now the home of a Colorado Rockies affiliate, the Spokane Indians
‘Firefighters launched an aggressive interior attack, but access challenges and a partial collapse of the metal roof forced crews to withdraw and transition to a defensive operation,’ the SVFD update continued.
‘Thanks to quick action, the fire was contained to the concessions stand and prevented from spreading to nearby structures. The building, however, sustained significant damage.’
A cause of the fire has not been determined, but department investigators remain on the scene, which remained active throughout Friday morning.
The club, a High-A affiliate of the Colorado Rockies, has only two games remaining on its schedule, both of which are slated to take place in Eugene on Friday and Sunday. The Indians have already been eliminated from postseason contention in the Northwest League, where they’ve played since 1983.
Originally named Fairgrounds Ballpark when it was built for a Triple-A team in the Pacific Coast League, the stadium has hosted a number of great ballplayers over the years, including Carlos Beltrán, Zack Greinke, and Steve Garvey. It also played host to the Gonzaga Bulldogs baseball team between 2004 and 2007.
