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Historic 'A League of Their Own' ballpark burns down amid rampant homelessness: 'It's just fallen in disarray'
The baseball park used in the classic film "A League of Their Own" tragically burned down, leaving locals devastated with some saying they heard an explosion.Jay Littleton Ball Park in Ontario, California, burned to the ground in a five-alarm fire completely destroying the bleachers and dugouts that were seen in the movie. The scoreboard is still standing.The park was the backdrop for the 1992 movie starring Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, and Madonna (among others) on an all-women's baseball team that struggled to help their league succeed without men during World War II. 'In the past, they've broken into the building and cut the gas line so they could hook up their own gas.'In a press release, the Ontario Fire Department said that 51 personnel responded to the fire and contained it to building of origin.The fire department added that the ball park was a local landmark for nearly 90 years and featured all-wooden grandstands that were constructed in 1937.No victims were located, and the fire's main cause remained under investigation at the time of this writing.
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At least one local resident suspected foul play; Aaron Matthiesen, president of the Ontario Eastern Little League, told Fox 11 Los Angeles that homelessness has been rampant in the park."We constantly have issues with the homeless at the park," Matthiesen said. "In the past, they've broken into the building and cut the gas line so they could hook up their own gas.""It's just fallen in disarray, and I unfortunately think that's what happened," he added.The little league president said that another resident had told him "they heard an explosion" and then saw the flames. "I'm hoping no one was inside. But yeah, homelessness has been a huge problem here at the park."Matthiesen told reporters from ABC 7 that local residents were crying in the streets over the ordeal as so many children play there."There's a president from a neighboring league across the street who I was just talking with. One of the parents, one of our coaches is down the street. He's sitting there crying on the side of the road because this ball park has been the heart of Ontario," the baseball lover went on."It's a historical ball park place to play for our kids. And now, unfortunately, we're not going to be able to get a chance to play in it anymore."Ontario's director of communications, Dan Bell, spoke on the significance of the park's history in an interview with Entertainment Weekly."It's a terrible loss for our community," he told the outlet. "Everyone here either played or had relatives or kids who played on that field over the years. In its 87 years of existence, a lot of people played on that field."The official added that the city will have to take a close look at how to move forward with the field due to its historical significance.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
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