UPDATE: After a delay, play has resumed, though without fans in the stands. To those who were evacuated from Scotiabank Arena during the fire, the Toronto Raptors say ticket refunds will be available.
More importantly, despite the fire, no one was hurt.
There’s been an uptick in stadium fires lately. First Empower Field at Mile High, the home of the Denver Broncos started on fire Thursday. Two days later, Scotiabank Arena, host of the Toronto Raptors has also caught on fire.
Unlike the fire in Colorado, this one happened while a game is in progress, with the Indiana Pacers visiting Toronto on Saturday night. Raptors officials had to clear a section of the stands where fans were sitting watching the game for safety reasons, before evacuating nearly everyone in attendance.
Although the game was initially still underway, it has now been suspended, which could mean anything. It could be resumed later tonight, or moved to a later date, depending on how they can diffuse the situation.
Firefighters are now attending to the fire, which seems to have started by some in-arena speakers, causing the shutdown of the PA system.
We’ll keep you updated on the ongoing situation in Toronto as they figure out their plans for the rest of the basketball game. As it stands, the Raptors had a 28-point lead over the Pacers with 4:05 remaining in the second quarter. It’s unknown how the game would be handled if it had to be made up at a later date.
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Scotiabank Arena serves as the home for Toronto Raptors and three other sports franchises
First opening on February 19, 1999, Scotiabank Arena is located in downtown Toronto, Ontario. Not only do the Toronto Raptors play their basketball games at Scotiabank Arena, the Toronto Maple Leafs have also played their home hockey games at the stadium since 1999.
Both the Raptors and Maple Leafs’ minor-league affiliates (Toronto Marlies and Raptors 905) also occasionally play their home games at Scotiabank Arena.
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