Raptors fans evacuated after speaker catches fire at Scotiabank Arena

In a Raptors season that’s had almost everything, something else popped up out of nowhere. A fire in a speaker hanging from the ceiling of the Scotiabank Arena forced the evacuation of the building during the first half of Saturday night’s win over the Indiana Pacers. A team spokesperson said a “small electrical fire” started in one of the speakers above Section 103 in the 23-year-old arena. Police and fire officials wanted the building emptied after fans were originally removed from two sections at the east end of the arena. “All of a sudden during the game I looked up and that whole section was cleared out, and I was trying to figure out why or what happened,” Raptors coach Nick Nurse said after the game. “I was like, ‘Geez, they didn’t sell that whole section? I wonder why they didn’t sell those seats.’ Then it was, ‘Wait a minute, there’s got to be a big group coming later.’ “Then I saw the firemen standing there. I wasn’t sure from where I was what it was. I went back to the bench and said to the coaches, ‘Hey, something’s going on over there.’ Somebody heard me say that and they said yeah, there was a fire up in a speaker.”There was “no threat to public safety” the team said through its public address announcer as nearly 20,000 fans were being removed. “There was never really a feeling of danger,” Indiana coach Lloyd Pierce said. The Raptors led the Pacers 66-38 with 4:05 left in the first half when the game was suspended.Workers were seen rappelling from the rafters with a fire extinguisher before the game resumed, without fans, after a delay of just over an hour.It was by far the most serious issue in a wild season for the Raptors, who have played games at home in front of full audiences, ones limited to half capacity because of COVID-19 outbreaks and in a completely empty building.“Just add it to the list,” Nurse said. Fans with tickets to Saturday’s game will have their money refunded at point of purchase within 30 days, a team spokesperson said.In a statement, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment said any further repairs will be done in time for Sunday night’s game between the Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers to go ahead as scheduled.Doug Smith is a sports reporter based in Toronto. Follow him on Twitter: @smithraps