Fenway Park Fire Caused $100,000 in Damage
A small fire broke out in the Boston Red Sox's administrative offices at Fenway Park, but the fire was quickly contained and no injuries were reported.
The Boston Fire Department says the blaze, which stared in the second-floor mail room, was reported at about 11:30 a.m. Monday.
The fire was quickly extinguished and firefighters were able to leave Fenway less than 90 minutes after they were called.
The fire department said most of the damage was caused by smoke and water on both the first and second floors, according to BFD spokesperson Steve MacDonald.
The department also stated that some archival photos that were stored in the area of the fire were being examined by Fenway staff to see if there photos suffered any damage.
The department explained to reporters that the fire was caused by a short circuit near a wall-mounted light fixture.
Fenway Park, the oldest currently in-use professional sports venue in America, is celebrating its 100th anniversary in April.
Fenway Park has experienced fires before. A fire in January of 1934 damaged much of the ballpark even some surrounding buildings.
A fire broke out on the canvas roofing that previously covered the ballpark. Damage to the stadium during that incident was $250,000, according to the Boston Herald.
The Red Sox staff is still making their own assessment of the damage. MacDonald stated that there is a crew at the scene now which is vacuuming out the water and using fans to get rid of the smell.
Fenway is one of two "classic" ballparks still in use, the other being Chicago's Wrigley Field, and is considered to be one of the best-known sports venues in the world.
It has been the oldest venue used by a professional sports team in the United States since Comiskey Park in Chicago was demolished in 1991.
Dedicated Red Sox fans have sold out every Red Sox home game since May 15, 2003.