OT: Fifth Third Bank ballpark (Grand Rapids) on FIRE!
Home to the West Michigan Whitecaps, in Grand Rapids. Fire apparently started on the executive suite level. The first baseline section of the suite level has collapsed down on to lower stadium seating.
http://fox17online.com/live/#axzz2pLzmDJeG
Edit: Sorry was on iphone and couldn't update title
January 3rd, 2014 at 12:43 PM ^
I was just about to post this, scary looking sight from all the twitter pics, I'll embed some below. Sounds like everyone got out safely but it looks like the ballpark is collapsing.
BREAKING: Crews putting out flames at Fifth Third Ballpark #news8 http://t.co/9RU39QHVqp pic.twitter.com/9iKuxNrBKr
— Koco (@KocoMcAboy) January 3, 2014
January 3rd, 2014 at 12:43 PM ^
This is a tough day for all Whitecaps fans. pic.twitter.com/TBxJCyjOhM
— John Gonzalez (@MichiganGonzo) January 3, 2014
January 3rd, 2014 at 12:53 PM ^
All 25 of them...
January 3rd, 2014 at 1:16 PM ^
They always take it too far
January 3rd, 2014 at 2:18 PM ^
Been to a couple Lugnuts games on Fan Appreciation night - free concessions all game (outside of alcohol). Great time, though more people in line than in the stands.
If a team like the Lugnuts can do that, really makes me question the ticket pricing of alot of teams.
January 3rd, 2014 at 4:31 PM ^
Minor-league clubs don't have all that much in the way of expenses, though. The parent MLB club pays all the salaries of the players, managers and coaches.
January 3rd, 2014 at 1:12 PM ^
that said they drain the water lines and don't heat that section in the winter. Therefore the sprinklers were not active. They also store propane in that section. Sadly, kegs of beer are also stored there so expect high beer prices. /s
January 3rd, 2014 at 1:52 PM ^
Store propane in the section where they turn off the sprinklers. Um, not good planning?
January 3rd, 2014 at 2:22 PM ^
What's wrong with that? Everyone knows it is perfectly cromulent to store propane in a non-firesafe room in between the dynamite and the napalm.
January 3rd, 2014 at 3:16 PM ^
LOL! Needed that today. Thanks Blarvey.
January 3rd, 2014 at 4:02 PM ^
BUT WHY STORE THE BEER THERE?!?!?!
January 3rd, 2014 at 3:06 PM ^
in that picture. Just thought I'd point that out.
January 3rd, 2014 at 12:44 PM ^
January 3rd, 2014 at 12:45 PM ^
Sad, I hope they don't find that it was caused by something silly like some exec leaving on a space heater or something.
Ironically, the Man vs Food episode that was filmed there was on TV yesterday...
January 3rd, 2014 at 1:05 PM ^
are on the other side of the park.
January 3rd, 2014 at 1:12 PM ^
Coincidence and irony are not the same thing. Now if it had just appeared on a show running down the list of top 10 most flame retardant buildings, you'd have irony. And a really strange show that I can't imagine anyone would watch.
January 3rd, 2014 at 3:05 PM ^
January 3rd, 2014 at 12:46 PM ^
The Applebees in Ludington was just destroyed by fire.
WTF is going on!!
January 3rd, 2014 at 1:19 PM ^
OH NO, NOT THE APPLEBEES
January 3rd, 2014 at 1:55 PM ^
Imagining Kanye actually yelling that is going to distract me for the rest of the day.
January 3rd, 2014 at 2:52 PM ^
I didn't even know an Applebees existed in Ludington, and I'm there a lot (Ludington, not Applebees). The one bad thing I can think of is that was probably one of the few places in town that keep normal hours during the off-season. Almost the whole town shuts down at 5pm, and is closed on Sundays from Labor Day to Memorial Day.
January 3rd, 2014 at 2:17 PM ^
That's ok. Everyone knows all the chicks hang out at Chili's anyway.
January 3rd, 2014 at 12:50 PM ^
The local news people on the linked feed are talking as if the stadium will be completely destroyed by the fire. Pretty dramatic video. Hopefully no one is hurt in the fire, otherwise I'm going to feel pretty ghoulish watching the video with such fascination.
January 3rd, 2014 at 12:50 PM ^
Wow, Sparty fans really stepped up their game this year after winning the Rose Bowl. It's not just couches that aren't safe any more.
(Obviously, I'm glad that everyone is safe and I hope that they'll be able to rebuild the stadium in time for the season to start. I'm over near Grand Rapids and this is what everyone is talking about this afternoon. I'm not quite close enough to see the smoke from my house).
January 3rd, 2014 at 12:52 PM ^
Rebuild in time? That looks like more than a four-month fix. If I were a betting man, from here I'd guess the Whitecaps will have to move to Battle Creek for a year or so.
January 3rd, 2014 at 12:54 PM ^
It's very possible, though to be honest I've been shocked at what construction crews can put up in what kind of time lately. Also, doesn't Battle Creek still have a minor league team? I can't imagine the scheduling nightmare you'd have to go through to try and get two minor league teams to play in the same ballpark.
January 3rd, 2014 at 12:56 PM ^
I thought their team disbanded a while ago. Might be wrong.
GVSU has a baseball stadium that might also be an option.
January 3rd, 2014 at 1:02 PM ^
Ah, looks like Battle Creek moved to Midland a couple years ago, so they're no longer in Battle Creek.
Living a couple miles from GVSU would make me super guilty about not going to any games this summer if they were to move there, much like I feel super guilty about not going to any of their football games every fall.
January 3rd, 2014 at 1:34 PM ^
Did my undergraduate at GVSU, It could be an option, but that stadium is a little to small, plus it would be harder to collect revenue as their are no suites or concession stands. They would also have to bring in a ton of porto-johns and I bet the "press-box" would be to small as well. It is a really nice field however. I think what the Whitecaps would do is move home games to where the Lansing Lugnuts play. A little out of the way, but its a large stadium in a decent sized city. Scheduling would be a nightmare, but maybe it could be done.
January 3rd, 2014 at 2:53 PM ^
That will be far more than a four month project.
January 3rd, 2014 at 1:04 PM ^
I can't imagine they'd do that. There may be a few, but I bet there aren't very many 'caps fans that would make the trip to B.C. to see a game. Its not exactly a hop skip & jump down there. I could see them working something out with Grand Valley, Rockford or East GR for a couple months or so.
January 3rd, 2014 at 1:10 PM ^
Kalamazoo had an empty field for 3 years, but just got a Northwoods franchise, so that's out too
January 3rd, 2014 at 1:43 PM ^
intend to play opening day at Fifth Third Park
January 3rd, 2014 at 12:55 PM ^
I'm from Toledo and thought this might be the Mud Hens 5/3 Field. Glad to see it's not, but hope everyone involved stays safe and GRFD gets it under control.
January 3rd, 2014 at 12:57 PM ^
Perhaps OP could put "in GR" or "in G Rapids" (or whatever) in title?
January 3rd, 2014 at 2:05 PM ^
Heck, he could even put in the city's actual name, Grand Rapids. The possibilities are endless!
January 3rd, 2014 at 12:56 PM ^
Beyond the loss (hopefully just to property, not life), I do not envy anyone fighting a fire in single digit weather. Not that it's ever walk in the park, but on days like today, it's got to be challenging in the extreme.
January 3rd, 2014 at 1:08 PM ^
It's got to be miserable. Fires in this weather are their own special kind of pain in the ass. This was in Minnesota on Wednesday:
January 3rd, 2014 at 12:56 PM ^
January 3rd, 2014 at 1:03 PM ^
January 3rd, 2014 at 1:09 PM ^
January 3rd, 2014 at 1:16 PM ^
Ie. tourism etc.
January 3rd, 2014 at 1:20 PM ^
January 3rd, 2014 at 1:23 PM ^
Did you read/hear where the suites collapsed into the lower level?
January 3rd, 2014 at 1:45 PM ^
I think he's generally right, even if he's underselling the damage. Damage seems limited to one side of the suites. Even if those aren't operable for the season, only need to stabalize the section so that the rest of the stadium is usable for it to be a better situation than any alternatives. I would think they can produce a makeshift stadium in 3.5 months before the season opens.
January 3rd, 2014 at 1:58 PM ^
To be fair to the media coverage, the fire spread at a very quick pace. It appeared for a time that the whole structure was going to be lost. Kudos to the fire crews for their hard work.
January 3rd, 2014 at 2:10 PM ^
But again, don't have to make it perfect. They could use the visitor's clubhouse as the home clubhouse and create something passable for visitors for the season. There will have to be some outside of the box thinking, but almost anything that can utilize what is undamaged is going to be better than any of the alternatives.
January 3rd, 2014 at 1:45 PM ^
It looks like truss construction.
If the fire got up into the void spaces and collapsed even one of the trusses, which it sounds like it did, then the structural integrity of the entire roof is compromised.
It's hot up there; eventually the gusset plates heat up and push out of the truss. I wouldn't be surprised to see more of the roof come down.
January 3rd, 2014 at 3:29 PM ^
They showed the fire buring through a large section of the roof. So the integrity of the structure would appear to be compromised.