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Zamboni explodes; fire destroys arena
Larry Oakes, Star Tribune
December 20, 2004 HOCKEY1220
DULUTH -- A Duluth hockey arena was destroyed and at least two people suffered minor injuries Sunday night after a Zamboni ice-resurfacing machine exploded during a broomball game, starting a major fire and sending players and spectators fleeing.
"It looked like the Zamboni doors flew off onto the ice," a player told KDLH-TV in Duluth, shortly after the explosion, which happened about 9:40 p.m. at Peterson Arena, 3501 Grand Av. in west Duluth.
The witness said the explosion started ceiling insulation on fire, and the building was quickly engulfed.
"There were people on the ice that got hit by the doors," the player told the television station. "We all just ran out of there. I think everybody got out."
A nursing supervisor at St. Mary's Medical Center in Duluth said this morning that one person was treated at the hospital and released.
Battling the fireAssociated PressPlayer Ryan Ringsred, who was bandaged, picked small pieces of Plexiglas from the back of his neck. He was on the ice when the explosion happened.
"I was facing the boards when they blew up," Ringsred said. "I was on the ice and the Zamboni blew up behind me. I was flat on the ice."
About 30 people -- including two broomball teams and a handful of fans -- were inside the building at the time of the explosion.
People who live near the arena reported hearing two loud booms and shortly afterward seeing flames shooting out of the building.
Police blocked off streets leading to the arena and city buses were called so evacuees could get out of the cold. Natural gas and electric service were shut off to the burning building, a move that also cut power and gas in the surrounding neighborhood.
By 10:15 p.m., the fire had engulfed the north side of the building, and police cleared out the warming house when it looked as if the fire might reach nearby power lines.
Peterson Arena is one of two city-owned arenas managed by the Duluth Amateur Hockey Association, which operates some 60 youth hockey teams for more than 800 players.
The arena was scheduled to be the site of a number of tournaments through March, according to the association's Web site.
Larry Oakes, Star Tribune
December 20, 2004 HOCKEY1220
DULUTH -- A Duluth hockey arena was destroyed and at least two people suffered minor injuries Sunday night after a Zamboni ice-resurfacing machine exploded during a broomball game, starting a major fire and sending players and spectators fleeing.
"It looked like the Zamboni doors flew off onto the ice," a player told KDLH-TV in Duluth, shortly after the explosion, which happened about 9:40 p.m. at Peterson Arena, 3501 Grand Av. in west Duluth.
The witness said the explosion started ceiling insulation on fire, and the building was quickly engulfed.
"There were people on the ice that got hit by the doors," the player told the television station. "We all just ran out of there. I think everybody got out."
A nursing supervisor at St. Mary's Medical Center in Duluth said this morning that one person was treated at the hospital and released.
Battling the fireAssociated PressPlayer Ryan Ringsred, who was bandaged, picked small pieces of Plexiglas from the back of his neck. He was on the ice when the explosion happened.
"I was facing the boards when they blew up," Ringsred said. "I was on the ice and the Zamboni blew up behind me. I was flat on the ice."
About 30 people -- including two broomball teams and a handful of fans -- were inside the building at the time of the explosion.
People who live near the arena reported hearing two loud booms and shortly afterward seeing flames shooting out of the building.
Police blocked off streets leading to the arena and city buses were called so evacuees could get out of the cold. Natural gas and electric service were shut off to the burning building, a move that also cut power and gas in the surrounding neighborhood.
By 10:15 p.m., the fire had engulfed the north side of the building, and police cleared out the warming house when it looked as if the fire might reach nearby power lines.
Peterson Arena is one of two city-owned arenas managed by the Duluth Amateur Hockey Association, which operates some 60 youth hockey teams for more than 800 players.
The arena was scheduled to be the site of a number of tournaments through March, according to the association's Web site.
