HICKORY, N.C. — Repairs are underway at the Hickory Crawdads’ stadium after a fire caused significant damage inside the visitors’ locker room over the weekend.
The team has already canceled two home games, but the general manager says an upcoming road stretch will give crews time to make progress.
The fire tore through the locker room early Saturday morning, destroying furniture, burning more than a dozen baseball bats, and forcing crews to remove carpet and ceiling tiles.
[ READ MORE >> Fire breaks out at Hickory baseball stadium ]
Fire investigators said the blaze started due to an electrical issue inside the building.
The alarm went off around 5 a.m., waking Boy Scouts and parents who were camping in the outfield.
One father said he quickly told his son, “We just got to get up and go.”
General Manager Douglas Locascio said the damage has left the team without the space required to meet league standards.
“There’s major league standards and minor league standards. There are standards that have to be met, and we have to provide and have a solution to provide for that,” Locascio said.
Investigators returned Monday to pinpoint the exact cause. Crews were also seen moving outbuildings to store items that could be salvaged.
Locascio says he hopes to have a plan in place before the Crawdads return home early next week.