Turf Fire Sparked By Pregame Pyrotechnics Delays Steelers-Rams Nearly 30 Minutes

The start of yesterday's Steelers-Rams game was "delayed 28 minutes" when sparks from pregame pyrotechnics at Edward Jones Dome "caused part of the artificial surface to catch fire briefly," according to Jim Thomas of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. During pregame introductions, fireworks are "shot off a few feet in the air in the corner of the end zone where the players come out." The Rams in a statement said that a "pyrotechnic cart malfunction" caused the fire. Thomas notes it was "quickly extinguished." Meanwhile, there were 52,433 tickets distributed for yesterday's contest, and of the "maybe 50,000 fans actually in the stands, about 20,000 were loud, energetic Steelers fans." Steelers fans "travel well, and their presence was magnified as Rams fans continue to stay away from the Dome, partly in protest of owner Stan Kroenke’s plans to move the team" to L.A. (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 9/28). ESPN.com's Nick Wagoner noted Dome employees "quickly ran onto the field to extinguish the fire, but the residue left a mess about 10 feet wide." Stadium employees "started by trying to sweep the residue off the field, but when that didn't work, a vacuum was brought out." The biggest concern from the damage "wasn't the burned turf but the residue from the fire extinguisher." A Rams official said that the fire extinguisher label "warns of 'antifreeze irritant' and the biggest concern was that players would get the residue in their eyes" (ESPN.com, 9/27). THE MMQB's Peter King writes, "A 27-minute delay for a tiny piece of turf that caught on fire in St. Louis? Come on. Please" (MMQB.SI.com, 9/28). Radio host Dan Patrick: "Do we really need pyrotechnics? Maybe if I’m at a Kiss concert, but not at a Rams game” (“The Dan Patrick Show,” 9/28).