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Tim Hortons Field fire causes $25,000 in damages, but may not affect Labour Day decision
The problemsatHamilton'sTim Hortons Field continue to mount. A fire broke out at the stadium early Saturday morning, causing an estimated $25,000 in damages according to the Hamilton fire department's release. That comes as workers are still rushing to have the field finished enough for a potential partial occupancy permit, which would allow the team to host the Labour Day Classic on Monday (or perhaps Tuesday). However, Drew Edwards of The Hamilton Spectator reports that while the fire may prove costly, it's unlikely to affect the city's ongoing inspections:
A city official says they do not expect Saturday's fire at Tim Hortons Field to impact the inspection process needed to get the stadium approved for Monday's game.
"We do not believe at this time, nor have any reason to believe this will impact in any way game operations or continued work at the stadium today, including inspections," Michael Kirkopoulos, a communications officer with City of Hamilton said in an email.
Meanwhile, while the cause of the fire has not been determined, police investigators and the Ontario fire marshall have been called in.
The fire's expected minimal impact on inspections is likely thanks to its location. Edwards adds that the fire was reported at 4 a.m. Saturday morning, and that it was confined to a third-floor mechanical room that controls air conditioning in the suites. As the suites aren't going to be open for the first game, there shouldn't be a big direct effect on whether the stadium will be approved for play Monday or Tuesday. However, this may raise further questions about the stadium's construction, especially with the cause being unknown. In particular, if it was an electrical fire, that may prompt inspectors to take a closer look at the wiring around the stadium, and that might delay the permit process. The Tiger-Cats would probably have preferred the fire to not be real, like the Great Mosiac Stadium Fire of 2012.
There isn't a lot of time to go before we find out if the stadium will in fact host football Monday, as the permit decision is expected to be made Sunday. Hamilton mayor Bob Bratina is optimistic the stadium will be cleared, but there was a lot of work expected to be done over the weekend, including the installation and testing of up to four kilometres of guardrails and handrails. The Tiger-Cats are fortunate that the fire didn't directly affect anything related to Monday's planned opening, but the damage done here will definitely still need to be repaired over the long run, and questions about how this fire started may matter as well. It's also one more problem at a stadium that's seen plenty of them so far.
