Combination of Mistakes Lead to Destructive Stadium Fire

It looks like a number of problems led to the destruction of a major portion of a baseball park in west Michigan including carelessness and an equipment breakdown.

Fire investigators say the cause of the blaze Friday at the Fifth Third minor league ballpark in Plainfield Township near Grand Rapids--home of the Whitecaps Baseball Team-- was due to a trash container placed too close to a space heater.  That ignited the fire, but it 'should' have been put out quickly by the stadium's sprinkler system, according to stadium officials, which apparently malfunctioned.

Surprising news to those with the West Michigan Whitecaps ball club since the system had been upgraded in 2012 and inspected again the following year.  The fire destroyed a good portion of the ballpark on the first base side, including a concessions area and a number of suites.  It also collapsed a part of the roof.  No word yet on damage estimates.