Saturday night’s game between the Raptors and Pacers in Toronto was suspended after a Scotiabank Arena speaker caught fire. The arena was evacuated shortly after it came to attention.
The @Raptors – @Pacers game has been suspended after one of the speaker caught fire. Scotiabank Arena has been evacuated.
🎥: @Charlliieee pic.twitter.com/cMroXLdvm1
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) March 27, 2022
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About an hour later, the Toronto Raptors released a statement on the matter.
“Scotiabank arena has been given the all clear,” the team tweeted. “The game against the Pacers will resume without any fans in the building. Tickets will be refunded within 30 days. We apologize to all our fans who made it out to the game tonight and we thank our fans for their continued support.”
Update on Raptors vs. Pacers. pic.twitter.com/bzlbvHly17
— Toronto Raptors (@Raptors) March 27, 2022
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This isn’t the first time a fire has popped up at sporting venue this week. Just a few days ago, the Denver Broncos Mile High Stadium caught fire, doing a good amount of damage to the upper and suite levels.
Thankfully in both instances, nobody was injured.
A Raptors spokesperson described the situation as a “small electrical fire.” On the team’s broadcast, they explained that the crowd was evacuated because the location of the fire could pose a fall risk.
The crowd is being evacuated in part because it’s location may require firefighters to approach it from underneath, and because there is a fall risk. Per the broadcast.
— Blake Murphy (@BlakeMurphyODC) March 27, 2022
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Play was stopped with just over four minutes to go in the second quarter. At which point, officials gathered with the referees and teams on the court before pausing the action and sending players to their respective locker rooms.
The game has since continued, fan-less, with the Raptors currently leading 90-67 in the third quarter.