Fifth Third Ballpark Is On Fire

Fifth Third Ballpark, home to the Detroit Tigers' A-ball affiliate the West Michigan Whitecaps, is on fire.

The stadium was built twenty years ago just outside Grand Rapids. Local NBC affiliate WOOD is reporting firefighters pulled back after hearing explosions, perhaps propane tanks in the concession areas, and that the right field stands are in danger of collapse.

Follow the fire on WOOD's livestream here.

Fifth Third Ballpark was just renovated last year, and according to WOOD the portion on fire includes the brand-new luxury boxes just installed. Fifth Third Ballpark is scheduled to host the Midwest League All-Star game this upcoming season.

Update (12:42 p.m.): WOOD says the sprinkler system failed, possibly because it was drained or shut off for the offseason. That would make sense, because pipes full of water outside don't fare too well in a Michigan winter.

Update (1:09 p.m.): Here's some video from inside the ballpark, again from WOOD: