An investigation is underway after a fire broke out at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
The stadium, which is currently under construction, is the new home of the Texas Rangers and is expected to be ready for play in the spring.
Texas Rangers spokesman John Blake said the fire and smoke in the 1.7-million-square-foot stadium was contained.
A spokesperson for Manhattan Construction, the company building the stadium, said the fire started when a crate of materials in the "roof area" caught fire.
Firefighters had to use aerial ladders to bring the two-alarm fire, which started about 2:30 p.m., under control, said Mike Joiner with the Arlington Fire Department.
A video shared on Snapchat appeared to show workers on top of the stadium with fire raging beneath them. In the video, the men were asking for a basket to rescue them from the roof.
The fire department said firefighters had a long, hard climb to get to the roof, but trained regularly at the stadium, so they were prepared.
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Workers helped show firefighters where the fire was, fire officials said.
“They had people in the rafters, they had people everywhere. We were able to have this building evacuated in that 37 minutes,” said Jonathan Ingols, deputy chief with the Arlington Fire Department. The fire department will work with Manhattan Construction to find out how the fire started.
No injuries were reported.
Dave Cutler and his wife, who were visiting from Canada, were on their way to the stadium.
“It was kind of scary. When you first see that. We saw the smoke coming in halfway from Dallas and here, you can see the smoke. I said, ‘That’s the area we’re heading to right now,'" Cutler said.
The assessment of the stadium and investigation into the fire by Manhattan Construction and the Arlington Fire Department started Sunday, Blake said.
The full statement from Manhattan Construction is below.
Today at approximately 2:30 p.m. a crate of materials staged in the roof area of the Globe Life Field project caught fire. It was quickly contained and extinguished. There were no injuries. We are investigating the cause of the fire in conjunction with the Arlington Fire Department and will release that once it is determined. We would like to express our appreciation for the Arlington Fire Department and emergency personnel for their quick response and support to this incident.
Latest Renderings of the New Globe Life Field
The $1.1 billion, 40,000-seat stadium is located across the street from the team's former park, Globe Life Park, and will be climate controlled with a retractable roof. The new stadium is expected to host its first game in March 2020.
