DENVER (KDVR) — A fire at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium destroyed several sections of seats Thursday afternoon.
About 75 firefighters responded to the blaze between the time the first 911 call was taken at 2:15 p.m. and the time it was considered under control at 3 p.m.
Michael Roldan was attending a company event inside the stadium.
“We were giving out awards when they announced there was a fire, and we should evacuate,” Roldan said.
“When we went to the third level (to retrieve belongings), there was a bunch of smoke rolling out,” he said.
According to Denver Fire Capt. Greg Pixley, the fire seemed to originate from a fourth-level suite and spread to the seats below it on the third level. Smoke interrupted an event on the second floor, but there are no reports of any injuries.
In total, the fire covered about 1,000 square feet of area, but the sprinkler system in the building was working and helped prevent its spread and extinguish the flames.
Fire investigators are now beginning their work to determine what the cause was. Pixley said wind may have helped spread the flames, but that’s also part of the investigation.
The seats are made of a petroleum compound that causes high heat, but what impact that had on the spread of the fire is also under investigation.
Investigators are also looking to see if there is any significant damage that could impact the structural safety of the stadium.