On the night of July 20, 1993, the city of Atlanta lived up to its nickname when a massive blaze broke out in Fulton County Stadium, home of the Atlanta Braves, and caused more than $1.5 million in damage. Stan Kasten, the Braves' president, and Reggie Williams, executive director of the Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Department, said at a news conference in Atlanta yesterday that club and stadium officials had counted on the construction of the stadium, made largely of fire-resistant materials, to stifle any blaze. "[23] Until the Florida Marlins arrived (also in 1993), the stadium was the hottest in the majors. How the Braves struggled for much of the season and then on a hot July night caught fire the same night their stadium caught fire. The retired numbers of four former Braves lined the centerfield wall: #21 of pitcher Warren Spahn; Phil Niekro's #35; #41 worn by slugging third baseman Eddie Mathews; and Hank Aaron's #44. The stadium was refurbished for the 1996 season prior to hosting the Olympic baseball competition. The Falcons moved to the Georgia Dome in 1992, while the Braves had to wait until the Olympic Stadium from the 1996 Summer Olympics was transformed into Turner Field to move out at the beginning of the 1997 season. Selig commented in the aftermath of the fire at Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, which broke out an hour and a half before the Braves' game with the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night. Field level at Fulton County Stadium was 33 feet below that of the parking lots surrounding the park. It’s nicknamed Hotlanta. The site where Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium once stood is now a parking lot. The next year, Chief Noc-A-Homa and his Wigwam took Victor's place in left field. Attendance at the game was announced as 49,072. [23] Until 1989, it didn't have full-time groundskeepers. The Braves reached the World Series again in 1995 and 1996, winning it in 1995 and giving the city of Atlanta its first major sports championship. Much of the play-by-play, game results, and transaction information both shown and used to create certain data sets was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by RetroSheet. That July, Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium was used for the Olympics baseball tournament while the Braves took an extended road trip, then after hosting the World Series, was razed to make way for additional parking for the Braves' new home. Belcher leads the team in wins and hasn’t lost since June 20, but his earned-run average has climbed to 4.16. Glass was flying. And then all of a sudden you heard this noise. As fire trucks made their way on to the field to battle the blaze, a loud explosion rocked the stadium with flaming debris dropping into the lower-level seats below. The few fans already in the stadium were hustled out as flaming debris from the fire plunged into the lower-deck seats between home plate and third base. Fulton County Stadium was designed by a joint-venture team of FABRAP (Finch Alexander Barnes Rothschild & Paschal) and Heery, Inc.[1]. The stadium was completed in 1965 and has no sprinkler system, no fire hydrants or a place where fire hoses could be connected. It was demolished on August 2, 1997. “It was a strange scene. The fence and wall display in the center of the picture commemorates the spot at which Hank Aaron's 715th home run landed on April 8, 1974. The Braves abandoned Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium after the 1996 season and moved next door into Turner Field, built for the 1996 Olympics. There was a partial roof over the upper deck, cutting down winds blowing across the paths of batted balls. After making back-to-back World Series appearances in 1991 and 1992, many throughout baseball thought the Atlanta Braves would again contend for the World Series in 1993. But Georgia Fire Marshal Tim Ryles disagreed, citing the disastrous Winecoff Hotel fire that killed 115 people in Atlanta in December 1946, the worst hotel fire in American history. Watch our How-To Videos to Become a Stathead, Subscribe to Stathead and get access to more data than you can imagine. When Atlanta hosted the St. Louis Cardinals on July 20, 1993, the home team held a 53-41 record and had gone 6-4 in its previous 10 games. The only thing I’ve seen like this before was when I was at the (1989) World Series earthquake in San Francisco.”. The Atlanta fire was the first in memory at a major league stadium. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Last edited on 7 September 2020, at 03:23, "New Atlanta Stadium to Stop Rubbernecking", "Atlanta has long tradition of winning baseball teams", "Dixie-style welcome due tonight when Braves dedicate new stadium", "Georgia State buys Turner Field, will convert it for football", "1996 Atlanta Braves Schedule - Baseball-Reference.com", "Atlanta 'Salutes Aaron' in Monday Extravaganza", "Braves Looking to Draw 50,000 for Big July 4th", Two vintage postcards showing the stadium from the air. That night the Atlanta Braves were hoping for increased offensive production with the welcomed addition to the lineup in the form of slugging first baseman Fred McGriff, who had been acquired from the San Diego Padres in a trade for three minor league players. When the game was finally played, Atlanta beat St. Louis… The Chief and fellow mascot Homer the Brave were later moved to "Rally Alley" beyond the right field wall, where a cannon was fired after every Braves home run. Both cards were published around 1965 or 1966, TerraServer photo of old stadium outline in parking lot, and Turner Field, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Atlanta–Fulton_County_Stadium&oldid=977130961, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. "There's a lesson to be learned from this. Martinez (10-7) pitched 5 1/3 innings, gave up nine hits and seven runs in the Expos’ third consecutive loss. "All clubs have their own procedures and the parks are covered by city ordinances. Subscribe to our Free Newsletter, This Week in Sports ReferenceFind out when we add a feature or make a change. Located in downtown Atlanta, just a quarter mile south of the Georgia State Capitol, the stadium was one of the first circular ballparks in the major leagues. The Braves and expansion Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League shared the venue for 26 years, until the Falcons moved into the newly completed Georgia Dome in 1992.

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