Malfunctioning postgame fireworks launched from the playing field entered the stands at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles on Friday night, sending fans at a National Women's Soccer League game between Angel City FC and the Orlando Pride scrambling to safety.
As reported by the Los Angeles Times, videos of the pyrotechnics display show the pitch filling with tall showers of sparks and dense smoke as dozens of fireworks launched upward from the field's center circle. "At what was to be the climactic finale of the show, however, fireworks began to take off horizontally, headed into the half-filled stands," Paige St. John and Melissa Gomez of the Times reported.
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Season ticket-holder Jade Greenhut captured video on her phone from her club seat after the first errant missile sped directly toward the Angel City team bench.
“Oh my god!” a woman’s voice on Greenhut’s video screams as at least two fireworks launched into the stands nearby, according to St. John and Gomez. Two more fireworks entered the stands, and a man can be heard on the video exclaiming, “Everybody’s running!”
A spokesperson for Angel City FC said the organization had no information “of any serious injury.”
“A third party vendor was hired to facilitate the pyrotechnics,” Stephanie Rudnick, the club's head of communications told the Times in an email from her home in Australia.
“A fireworks malfunction did occur during last night’s post-match celebration at Angel City FC’s game vs. Orlando at BMO Stadium,” the team said in a statement to the Times. “Our medical and safety teams were on site and ready to respond. Stadium operations confirmed the venue was secure and guests, staff, players, and crew were able to depart safely.
“We are working closely with our pyrotechnics vendor to review the incident and evaluating appropriate next steps.”
A club ambassador apologized to Greenhut, saying the stadium has hosted fireworks displays in the past without incident.
Greenhut said many fans had already left during the 20-minute window between the end of the game and the fireworks show, leaving the stands relatively empty and reducing the likelihood of injuries, the Times reported.
