RCMP investigators were on the scene of a fire, Wednesday morning, which caused an estimated $100,000 in damages to an outbuilding at Spruce City Stadium.
At roughly 5 a.m., Prince George Fire Rescue crews from three halls were called to the fire at the baseball field, located in Carrie Jane Gray Park, about 100 metres from the new fire hall.
Upon arrival, crews found heavy smoke and flame coming from an outbuilding at the stadium. Crews initiated a quick attack of the fire and kept it from spreading to the adjacent wood structures.
There were no injuries to fire personnel or the public and the cause of the fire is currently under investigation.
Randy Potskin, a board member of the Spruce City Men’s Fastball League, said the fire appears to have started in the stadium’s concession kitchen. The league is one of the core user groups of the city-owned baseball stadium.
“It is a total loss in the kitchen,” Potskin said. “Thankfully it didn’t happen before the tournament.”
Prince George hosted the 2022 Canadian Native Fastball Championships last weekend.
Until league organizers can access the building, they won’t know the full extent of the loss, he said. The league used the second floor of the building to store equipment, including speaker systems, score clocks and other gear.
The league does have insurance, Potskin added, so hopefully they’ll be able to recoup the losses.
The Tyco Coating Hitmen were scheduled to play a double header at Spruce City Stadium on Wednesday night, with a 7 p.m. game against the Decorum Angels and an 8:30 p.m. game against the FFR Glass Grays.
Potskin said tonight’s games will have to be cancelled, in part because they won’t be able to access the controls for the stadium lights.
“Hopefully tomorrow we can rejig our schedule with no lights,” he said. “Maybe we can play one game a night.”
Potskin said he expects the RCMP will determine the fire to be caused by arson.
“Every year we have break ins… but they don’t usually set the place on fire. That’s a first.”
In an email, a spokesperson for the City of Prince George said the stadium lighting transformer and controls, located in the concession building, were damaged and no longer work. The system is located on the second floor and the supporting joist system is compromised.
The city doesn't have a timeline yet to repair or replace the system.
The building's condition will need to be accessed to determine the level of damage.
However the field itself and the bleachers were not damaged, the spokesperson added.
An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported the fire occurred at Masich Place Stadium.
