Video shows fire damaging Mizzou Arena suite
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Canned heat placed too close to combustible material caused about $6,000 worth of damage to a Mizzou Arena suite last month, according to a Columbia Fire Department report.
The fire marshal's report said investigators found the charred Sterno can in the corner of a suite following the men's basketball game against the University of Alabama on Feb. 19. The report said the marshal saw a burned-up roll of paper towels and a burnt bag of hot dog buns nearby.
"The fire was caused by placing a Sterno can while still producing heat to close to combustible items on the counter top causing the items to ignite," fire marshal Steven Riggs wrote in his report.
Pictures obtained by ABC 17 News show the charred wall of the suite. Water damage can be seen in the ceiling tiles around the sprinkler head. A 4-second video clip provided by the university from an open records request shows the fire raging in the suite with a handful of people watching from the empty stands.
Firefighters got the call at 11:20 p.m. about the fire in suite 12 of Mizzou Arena. Capt. Josh Card wrote that he and another firefighter found a "smoke haze" in the building when they entered, and found the fire had already been put out. The reports say that MU staff had sprayed fire extinguishers. The suite's sprinkler system was also flowing when firefighters got there.
Riggs said University of Missouri staff told him the sprinkler system had been turned off before the fire. A staff member was told "to turn off the pump because he was afraid the pipes would freeze due to extreme cold weather," according to the marshal's report.
Firefighters also reported some difficulty communicating on their radios. John Metz wrote that heavy communication traffic on the dispatch line and "the building type" made radio use difficult. The department used a unit to relay traffic from inside to command units outside.
MU athletics spokesman Dave Matter said the suite was cleaned up quickly and was used by the next men's home game.
