PLYMOUTH ARGYLE have confirmed a fire erupted outside of their stadium on Monday.
Videos shared on social media on Monday night showed fire engines tackling a blaze at Home Park, the home of the Pilgrims since 1903.
Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service were called out to reports of a fire at 9:10pm, with an appliance from Camels Head and Greenbank fire stations in attendance, a statement to Plymouth Plus said.
Crews located the fire confined to two portable toilets before using a fire hose to extinguish it.
The toilets, located outside on a wall by the stadium, were completely destroyed in the fire.
The fire service believe the fire was started deliberately, and an investigation has been launched by Devon and Cornwall Police.
Argyle also confirmed the incident in a statement on social media and thanked the public for alerting emergency services.
It read: “We can confirm that a small fire occurred outside Home Park this evening.
“The incident is now under control, and there has been no damage to the interior of the stadium.
“Thank you to the public for their calls, alerting the emergency services to the incident.”
The incident comes less than a week after five brave fire crews tackled a significant blaze at St James Park, the home stadium of Argyle’s Devon rivals and League One club Exeter City.
Shocking footage shows five fire crews tackling the fierce blaze, which erupted at around 10pm on Wednesday as plumes of thick black smoke were seen filling the air.
Firefighters, meanwhile, were seen using hose reels to try and extinguish the inferno and prevent flames from spreading to the nearby stands.
The blaze began when a fire in an electrical consumer unit in the football stadium spread to a nearby Portacabin and outside storage area, said Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue service.
Smoke and flames engulfed the area in the corner of the ground between the away end and the Adam Stansfield stand at the St James Road and Well Street end.
It confirmed that around 60 per cent of a Portacabin was damaged by fire with other electrical services also damaged by the blaze.
Fire crews used breathing apparatus and hose reel jets to prevent the fire from escalating.
The blaze was put out just before midnight and ventilation fans were used to get rid of thick smoke, said the fire service.
Exeter City FC said in a statement: “Exeter City Football Club can confirm a small area of the stadium was damaged by fire last night.
“The fire is understood to have broken out in the St James Road and Well Street corner of the stadium and caused damage to the temporary building which houses the stadium’s control room.
“The alarm was raised just after 10pm and the fire was attended by more than five fire crews who brought the flames under control within two hours.
“We will be assessing the damage today and will update when we have more information.
“Thank you to the members of the public who reported the incident and for the fast response of the fire crews who brought the fire under control preventing further damage.”
