NEW ORLEANS — Smoke and flames shot through the side of the Superdome’s roof on Tuesday as crews worked to clean and prepare the New Orleans sports and entertainment arena for painting.
The New Orleans Fire Department confirmed that firefighters responded to flames on the building’s roof shortly before 1 p.m. The fire appeared to be under control a short time later.
New Orleans Emergency Management Services said on Twitter that it was transporting one person to the hospital for minor burns. Emergency officials called on people to stay away from the area.
Crews were power-washing the roof this week to prepare it to be painted, officials said.
The fire happened in a section of Superdome roofing called the “gutter tub,” said ASM Global VP of stadiums Doug Thornton, speaking with The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate.
ASM Global manages the Superdome. A spokesman did not immediately respond to a telephone call from The Associated Press.
The New Orleans Saints have regularly played home games at the venue, often drawing capacity crowds. The Superdome also has been the site of seven Super Bowls in recent decades.
The next Saints home game at the Superdome is scheduled for Oct. 3, when the team faces the New York Giants. The team’s final preseason home game slated for Aug. 28 was canceled because of Hurricane Ida, which made landfall the next day. Since the storm, the Saints have been practicing in the Dallas area. The team’s Sept. 12 game against the Green Bay Packers was moved to Jacksonville, Florida, out of concerns for New Orleans’ wider infrastructure and dome staff although the dome itself was not damaged during Ida.