Fire damages MCG
Jordan Chong and Jane Holroyd
August 30, 2006
A fire has caused up to $50,000 damage in a newly-constructed grandstand at the MCG this morning.
Five Metropolitan Fire Brigade trucks attended the fire, reported shortly before 10am today in the new Olympic stand at the north side of the ground.
Commander Lou Mele of the Metropolitan Fire Brigade said crews quickly tackled the blaze, which has caused up to $50,000 damage.
"It could have been a lot worse," he told Southern Cross Radio.
"Probably a couple of dozen plastic seats have been destroyed. There's probably four or five window panels and the roof that have been damaged by the fire."
A $434 million redevelopment of the MCG, including the reconstruction of its older stands, was completed in February this year, ahead of the Commonwealth Games the following month.
Mr Mele said the MFB upped its response, given the iconic status of the sporting stadium.
"Our crews arrived four or five minutes after the fire and quickly got a couple of lines on and got it under control very quickly.
"They didn't have anybody in this part of the stand, but it could have been a lot worse.
"It (fire) does spread very quickly, particularly in this type of seating, which is plastic."
Fire investigators would examine the cause of the fire, Mr Mele said. He said welding work being carried out on seats in the area was a possible cause.
Melbourne Cricket Club acting chief executive Trevor Dohnt confirmed some welders had been working in the area of the fire, but had left well before the fire had started.
He said structural engineers would examine the scene but it appeared there was no major damage.
"There's scar and burn marks on the bottom of the roof and we have lost between 15 and 20 seats, which we will lose this week but hopefully we can replace," he told Southern Cross Radio.
"Over the next few hours we are calling in our structural engineers just to make doubly and triply sure that the building is safe."
Mr Dohnt said it would "be all systems go" for AFL matches to be held at the MCG this weekend. "We will rope off about 20 seats in the top deck of the Olympic Stand," he said.
http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/fire-damages-new-mcg-stand/2006/08/30/1156816937972.html
