Officials in a town in Connecticut said a “poor decision” was made after videos showed a baseball field being doused in gasoline and set on fire.
The footage from Ridgefield showed the field at Governor Park being set ablaze.
The Ridgefield Police Department was called and rushed to the field.
“It was determined that gasoline was spread and ignited in order to dry the dirt infield quicker. The Ridgefield Fire Department and the DEEP [Department of Energy andEnvironment Protection] were contacted due to the fire and environmental hazards posed from the gasoline being used,” police said in a statement, noting it was continuing an investigation into what happened.
Six to 8 inches of the gas-soaked soil was excavated from the infield over the weekend and five or six containers of contaminated dirt were set to be taken away from the site on April 8.
@GameTimeCT @amityathletics @SPBowley
Field Maintenance at Governors Field in Ridgefield. First responders currently on scene. Game being moved? Environmental Hazard? pic.twitter.com/9eKd2JcBJC— NortonAmityTeacher (@AmityNorton) April 6, 2019
Still discussing future of Amity v. Ridgefield@amityathletics @SPBowley #ctbase pic.twitter.com/lSz2x9IuVl
— NortonAmityTeacher (@AmityNorton) April 6, 2019
A town official told the Ridgefield News-Times that it would cost at least $50,000 to fix the field after what happened.
“It doesn’t seem like a lot but it’s a very, very expensive process,” said the official, First Selectman Rudy Marconi.
He said that 75 to 100 people witnessed what happened and that someone could be charged.
“They collected quite a bit of evidence yesterday. Whether or not someone gets charged, it’s the police department’s decision to make. “There were plenty of witnesses. I don’t know how they ignited it but it could be out there on one of the cellphone videos.”
The decision to pour the gas was made after parents of players on the high school team and an opposing team showed up to the field on April 6 and found it soggy.
No one has taken responsibility for Ridgefield baseball field fire, first selectman says#ctbase https://t.co/QJ2DDh1tDM
— GameTimeCT (@GameTimeCT) April 9, 2019
“The basepath—the dirt part of the field—was wet and it was evident that they’d have to relocate or cancel because of the conditions,” he said.
“Someone had the idea to put gas on the surface. Let it burn to dry up the water and make the field playable. Unfortunately, it was not a very good idea. In theory, it sounded plausible, I guess, to those who participated.”
Marconi told GameTime CT that he hopes the people responsible come forward.
“I wasn’t there when it happened but I don’t believe it had anything to do with student vandalism,” Marconi said Monday. “It was an attempt to correct something—a wet field, and it just wasn’t a smart move at all. I don’t know who the people are who did this but I hope they come forward before legal action is forced upon them.”
There as been an incident in town that we want make citizens aware of. A RHS baseball game at Governor Park was delayed…
Posted by Town of Ridgefield, CT on Saturday, April 6, 2019
An update to the field fire situation. The field may be closed for the week due to the need for testing to be completed.
Posted by Town of Ridgefield, CT on Saturday, April 6, 2019
The town of Ridgefield publicly addressed the issue later on Saturday.
“There has been an incident in town that we want to make citizens aware of. An RHS baseball game at Governor Park was delayed due to weather conditions on the field this morning. A poor decision was made (and being looked into by the RPD) to ‘dry the field quicker’ and 24 gallons of gasoline was poured and set on fire,” it stated.
“Thanks to the RFD, Peter Hill the Director of Public Works, DEEP, the RPD, and our Certified Spill Response Team for their incredible help. No one was injured and no one is in danger. The plan is to excavate the infield, place dirt in a safe container, and add fresh, clean soil to the field. We will update you as we know more.”
Later Saturday, the town said that the field may be closed for the week for testing to be completed. It has not issued any official updates since then.
According to Scott Ericson, a sports writer, the game, which was Ridgefield versus Trinity, was moved to Trinity on Sunday instead of being played in Ridgefield on Saturday as was originally scheduled.
