Exeter City Ten Minutes from Disaster After Stadium Fire
Exeter City have provided a detailed update on last week’s fire at St James Park, with groundsman Chaz Woolnough explaining how close the club came to a major operational crisis.
The fire broke out in the corner between the Adam Stansfield Stand and the St James Road Terrace, destroying the medical room and damaging the control room. Woolnough said the rapid arrival of Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue prevented the blaze from spreading into the stand itself.
“If it had gone for another ten minutes, this would have gone up as well and then it really would have been a disaster,” he said.
The control room houses key systems needed for matchday operations, and Club officials confirmed that without it, fixtures could not legally be hosted. Cabling was destroyed, causing the postponement of the League One match against Burton Albion, but repairs have progressed quickly, and rigorous testing is now under way ahead of the FA Cup tie with Wycombe Wanderers on December six.
Estimated repair costs stand at £ 100,000, with fundraising already covering a significant portion of that total. Woolnough praised contractors, staff and sponsors for their response, saying the collective effort has put the club in a strong position to resume fixtures safely.