A fire that left some commuters stranded near the Oakland Coliseum Friday night, unable to leave through BART after the Oakland A's game and Paul Simon concert, may have been caused by the A's post-game fireworks show, an Oakland fire official said.
A spokesperson for the Athletics said Saturday morning that the fire was related to the fireworks.
The A's Communications Director Catherine Aker later recanted the statement in the afternoon and now says "we cannot be sure" if the fire at ABC Roofing near Hegenberger Rd. and San Leandro St. was connected to the post-game "Star Wars" themed fireworks show on the outfield grass.
Fire Battalion Chief James Bowron said Friday afternoon that the fire seemed to be accidental, but it's possible the fireworks could have caused the ignition.
Bowron said there has never been any issues with the fireworks shows at Coliseum over the years.
"Their track record is excellent. They take it very seriously. They have pyrotechnics people that are on scene there. They’re always 100 percent professional, and it's just a freak accident," Bowron told NBC Bay Area.
The fire was reported at 10:41 p.m. inside of a secure area where roofing materials, insulation and foam panels burned, according to Oakland Fire Battalion Chief Dino Torres.
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There were no injuries, the fire officials said.
A witness and Oakland A's fan, Jessica Pegan whose parents live in Hayward, said the fireworks sometimes shoot "kind of low" and she had always been afraid something like this would happen.
"As we pulled up we saw big plumes of smoke," Pegan said. "The fire had started and the fire trucks were starting to block off this area so we got out as quickly as we could."
The pedestrian bridge leading to BART was temporarily closed and crowds leaving the game and the fireworks show, as well as concert-goers, were left waiting until officials cleared the scene.
No other details were immediately available.
