Investigation launched after fire damages Exeter City stadium

Adam Clery Football Column. A newsletter that unpacks the absurdities and oddities of the beautiful gameThe ACFC newsletter: unpacking football’s absurditiesUnpack football’s oddities with the ACFC newsletterFire services have launched an investigation into the cause of a blaze which caused damage to Exeter City’s stadium overnight.Firefighters were called into action a little after 10pm on Wednesday to tackle a blaze which erupted at St James Park, with the flames extinguished by midnight and ventilation fans used to clear huge plumes of smoke. Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue stated that the fire began inside an electrical unit before spreading to the portacabin. The portacabin suffered damage of more than 60%, and the electrical cupboards as well as the electrical intake were also damaged. “was threatening to spread to one of the stands”. Exeter City ” “small area of the stadium was damaged”. The club released a statement Thursday morning that read: “The fire is understood to have broken out in the St James Road and Well Street corner of the stadium and caused damage to the temporary building which houses the stadium’s control room.“We will be assessing the damage today and will update when we have more information. “Thank you to the members of the public who reported the incident and for the fast response of the fire crews who brought the fire under control preventing further damage.”Firefighters remained at the scene through Thursday morning. St James Park has been the League One side’s home since its construction in 1904. A £3.4m redevelopment project was completed in 2018, which saw the replacement of the old Stagecoach stand with a new, 1,600-seater stand, named in honour of former striker Adam Stansfield. This is the stadium’s second fire in the last nine years. In 2016 Exeter’s League Two game against Carlisle United was delayed by more than an hour after smoke grenade was set off, with one stand evacuated due to smoke billowing from the back.
2025-11-13 10:22:22