In the midst of recovering from a hurricane, a fire broke out on the roof of the Caesars Superdome, the home stadium for the New Orleans Saints.
As New Orleans recovers from Hurricane Ida, disaster struck again on Tuesday afternoon when a fire broke out on the roof of the newly-named Caesars Superdome, the home stadium for the New Orleans Saints.
Kelsey Davis of Fox8 shared the breaking news with a video of the fire on the roof. Once the fire was put out, Davis shared updates as well as the presumed cause of the fire. One person has been reported as being injured with “minor burns” as emergency responders arrived at the scene.
Fire breaks out on the roof of the New Orleans Superdome
While the source of the fire is vaguely described as originating in the roof’s gutter tub during pressure-washing, one Twitter user indicates that a gas-powered pressure washer could easily catch flame near combustible materials.
The Superdome, which has hosted Saints games since 1975, was unable to host the Saints’ Week 1 home game versus the Green Bay Packers, having to instead open the season at Jacksonville’s TIAA Bank Field.
The Saints were then set with away games in Week 2 and Week 3, heading up to Foxborough this Sunday to face the New England Patriots. When the Saints return to host the New York Giants in Week 4, they will be hosting them at the Caesars Superdome.
It seems that the fire has been handled swiftly and accordingly by the city of New Orleans, but it’s one of a litany of issues for the Saints in recent years. The New Orleans team was also forced to shutter the Superdome in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The arrival of head coach Sean Payton and longtime quarterback Drew Brees a year later signaled a rebirth for the city, later resulting in the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory and several playoff berths.
Despite recent success, the legend still persists that the Saints home field is cursed by a nearby cemetery — and Saints fans have been swiftly reminded of their unlucky past after a Week 2 beatdown in Charlotte.
Ideally, the Superdome fire is the last of the problems this franchise faces before finally having their first true home game.