Fire Damages Exeter Stadium Control Room

Firefighters extinguished a blaze that damaged a temporary building at Exeter City Football Club's St James Park stadium in Exeter, England, late Wednesday evening, with no injuries reported.

The Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service received calls around 10:10 p.m. after members of the public spotted smoke billowing from the stadium's St James Road and Well Street corner. Crews arrived to find flames originating from an electrical consumer unit, which had spread to an adjacent portacabin used as the stadium's control room and an outside storage area. Three fire appliances and an aerial ladder platform were dispatched initially, followed by two more units as the fire threatened to reach one of the stands. Using breathing apparatus, hose reel jets, safety jets, hydraulic equipment, ventilation fans, and thermal imaging cameras, the teams contained the flames by midnight, preventing further spread.

The portacabin sustained damage to about 60 percent of its structure, along with electrical cupboards and intake systems, according to the fire service. A full investigation into the cause continues, with assessments planned for daylight hours Thursday. Police have not yet issued a...