Fire-Starter Gets Past Security Precautions in New Cardinals Stadium

ST. LOUIS

The St. Louis Cardinals took extensive security precautions for their new stadium, but that didn’t stop a deliberately set fire behind the left-field bleachers during the April 27 game at Busch Stadium III in an area still under construction. St. Louis fire officials say the fire, which caused only damage to a box filled with construction materials and may have been a prank, never threatened the stadium or fans after it was ignited in the eighth inning of the game against the Washington Senators.

The stadium, which opened in early April, was built with an extensive video surveillance system – profiled in an exclusive story in the April issue of Security Sales & Integration – that includes 114 cameras. However, the fire took place in an area that wasn’t under video surveillance in the portion of the stadium still under construction that won’t be ready until June, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The person who set the fire managed to get past uniformed ushers tasked with keeping people out of the area. Also, doors that were supposed to have been padlocked were left unlocked. St. Louis Cardinals Vice President of Stadium Operations Joe Abernathy told the Dispatch that the team is reviewing the situation and security procedures.

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