A fire on the second floor of Capital One Arena on Sunday morning led to the building being evacuated. According to DC Fire and EMS, the “small fire” started in a work area of the facility and was extinguished without any injuries.
The Washington Wizards and Phoenix Suns are scheduled to tip off inside the arena at 3:30 pm. Firefighting units are currently assisting arena personnel with smoke ventilation prior to the game.
Box Alarm: 600 Block of F Street NW – Small fire on 2nd floor work area of arena facility. All fire extinguished along with sprinkler activation. Units working with arena facility to ventilate residual smoke. No injuries to report. pic.twitter.com/5DA5Zbs61T
— DC Fire and EMS (@dcfireems) February 4, 2024
First reports about the fire surfaced at around 10 am. The arena’s sprinkler system was triggered and put out any danger before firefighters could arrive.
According to ABC7, a Monumental Sports spokesperson said the fire will not impact the game and doors will open on time for attending fans.
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This isn’t the first time that Capital One Arena has had a fire concern in recent years. Back in 2021, DC Fire crews attended to another small fire at the arena in the box office area of the building. That fire was started due to an issue with a TV monitor in the office.
The news of the fire comes just a couple of months after it was announced that both the Wizards and Capitals are soon to move out of Capital One Arena and make a proposed giant complex in Northern Virginia their new home. Ted Leonsis, owner of both teams under parent organization Monumental Sports & Entertainment, attended an event in December at Potomac Yard alongside Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin to officially announce the plans.
That huge news came after the city of DC did not meet MSE’s desire to receive up to $600 million in funding to renovate Capital One Arena. Leonsis has long been critical of his current agreement with Cap One, previously calling it “the worst building deal in professional sports.”
