Fire damages Dan R. Hooks Stadium

A fire outside the new press box under construction at Dan R. Hooks Stadium adjacent to West Orange-Stark High School was extinguished Thursday, June 29, with no injuries reported. The cause of the fire is under investigation.

A citizen driving past the stadium noticed the fire about four o'clock Thursday afternoon and called in the emergency. The West Orange Volunteer Fire Department responded to the stadium shortly after the fire was reported.

According to Tyler Roberts Captain 1 of the West Orange fire department they responded with about ten fire fighters to the blaze at the stadium. Roberts added that West Orange asked for mutual assistant from the Bridge City Fire Department which responded with additional fire personnel on the scene.

West Orange Fire Chief David Roberts and Assistant Chief Simmie Gibson are working with the fire marshal in their investigation of the cause and the exact origin of the fire. The front of the press box was badly blackened by the fire.

Spokesperson Dawn Martin for the West Orange-Cove Consolidated Independent School District issued a press release on Thursday concerning the fire and the quick work by the fire fighters to extinguish it. "We would like to express our gratitude to the first responders who promptly arrived at the scene and successfully contained the fire, minimizing potential damage. Thankfully, we can confirm that no injuries were reported as a result of the fire. The safety and well-being of our workers and staff are of utmost importance, and we are relieved that no one was injured," Martin said.

The construction of the press box at Dan R. Hooks Stadium will continue as planned the press release stated. The district is committed to completing the project and the incident of the fire will not deter them from that objective the statement concluded.