The football stadium press box caught fire and burned down in the early hours of Christmas Day. The structure is in the process of being torn down and rebuilt and will be complete before next football season.

Superintendent Lacy Freeman got the call in the pre-dawn hours on December 25.

“My dad was not happy being woken up so early,” senior Lane Freeman said. “We were all shocked to learn that the press box had burned down.”

Law enforcement had circled the building on a routine check about 1:00 am and nothing seemed out of place. His second pass a little after 4:30 am found the press box engulfed in flames. It was 20 degrees at the time of the fire.

“There wasn’t much left of it,” Freeman said. “All that was left was melted plastic and some debris.” 

The investigation of the fire yielded no signs of any foul play, so the possibility of arson has been ruled out. At the time of the fire, all of the gates and doors were locked.