The choice of targets for one or more firebugs in the Connellsville area has been indiscriminate, as homes and businesses alike have been torched. But Tuesday night, an arsonist may have graduated to a more public structure, setting a fire at one of Connellsville's most beloved shrines: Connellsville Stadium.
The heat from the early evening blaze was so intense, witnesses said, that several support beams were glowing red by the time firefighters arrived.
Though the fire initially has been labeled as "suspicious," it likely is the 24th in a 14-month series of arsons that have reduced several structures in the Fayette County community to ash, authorities said.
Connellsville Stadium was home of the 1991 WPIAL Champion Falcon football team and part of a renovation project in recent years that included an artificial surface that survived last night's blaze unscathed. But about 12 to 14 rows of fiberglass-covered wooden seats were destroyed by the fire, which was reported around 6:30 p.m.
School officials will inspect the stadium today to check for possible structural damage caused by the intense heat.
Connellsville athletic director Jim Lembo said the fire was confined to a women's restroom and storage area underneath the student section.
"The fire department did a good job getting it out," Lembo said. But the fire may have warped metal support beams and walkways, he said.
Charles Matthews, director of safety and security for the district, said initial reports indicate the extent of the damage "may be bad. Firemen told me there were flames in the stands when they got there."
Matthews, retired as Connellsville Police chief and now working for the school district, said the 5,000-person-capacity stadium was renovated a few years ago. But damage was confined to the student section that experienced less costly changes during the renovation, he said.
School Director Tom Dolde spent many autumn evenings on the sidelines as an assistant coach during Connellsville's glory days. The former teacher and coach said the stadium was built in the 1930s during the Great Depression.
The stadium also plays host annually to the John Woodruff 5K race, which honors the 1936 Olympic 800 meter champion.
