Magazine - AFL Venue hit by Firebug

By Editor in A.F.L on 2nd Apr 2008 7:00

A Deliberately lit fire at Aurora Stadium in Launceston, was the third major sporting venue to be targeted by arsonists in Tasmania since September.

But the $200,000 fire that ripped through the historic grandstand at Tasmania's AFL headquarters will not prevent Hawthorn hosting Adelaide in their blockbuster in a fortnight. Seating will be cut by about 1000 and umpires are likely to be inconvenienced after their changerooms were destroyed in the blaze.

Launceston's CIB and forensic teams will investigate this morning after fire investigators concluded the fire in the heritage-listed Northern The fire comes just six months after arsonists destroyed the historic Cresswell-Beakley grandstand at Glenorchy's KGV Oval. Launceston Football Club's rooms were severely damaged in another deliberately lit blaze in September.

A security guard yesterday called the fire service at about 3am. Crews were impeded when part of the grandstand collapsed, preventing them from entering underneath. The blaze was contained to three of the eight bays. Launceston City Council engineers declared the roof unsafe and it was removed.

AFL spokesman Patrick Keane said umpires would be relocated and the Hawthorn-Adelaide game would go on. The match shapes as one of the games of the season, with both sides in terrific early-season form. Stadium manager Robert Groenewegen said the stand was insured but it was too early to say how it would be redeveloped.

Source: www.news.com.au

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