Dec 8, 2004 By Joyce Koballa 2 min read

CONNELLSVILLE – Police and fire officials are continuing to probe the cause of a fire Tuesday evening that caused extensive damage to a bathroom/storage room and a section of bleachers at Connellsville Area School District’s Falcon Stadium adding it to the list of blazes the city has continued to be plagued with since last year. The fire broke out around 6:45 p.m. in a storage/bathroom near the student section of the stadium.

Mike Omatick, building and grounds director, said it gutted the facility and caused extensive damage to a section of bleachers above it.

“The bleachers were glowing,” Omatick said.

Omatick added the room contained paper products and several five-gallon empty pails.

Joe Childs, Connellsville fire chief, said it was too early to determine an exact cause or where the fire originated and ruled the fire as undetermined pending further investigation.

Childs added the metal door to the room was down on the ground with the lock still intact while there was electric being supplied to the room.

Omatick said he believes the fire started around the frame of the door.

Firefighters from Connellsville Fire Department and New Haven Hose Company responded to the scene along with Fayette EMS officials and Connellsville Police Department.

The state police fire marshal was also at the scene.

“It was a pretty intense fire,” Omatick said, adding that the stadium’s artificial turf was spared since the wind was blowing in the other direction.

As the number of suspicious and arson-related fires continues to grow throughout the city, Omatick said he was just as concerned with the stadium fire.