Illinois arena cleared to host game after fire

• Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Elder WriterOct 4, 2023, 04:33 PM ET

  Close

  • College football press reporter.
  • Joined ESPN.com in 2008.
  • Graduate of Northwestern University.Illinois ‘Memorial Arena

has actually been cleared to host Friday night’s football game versus Nebraska after a fire broke out Tuesday night in the south end of the building.After checking the area Wednesday, Illinois’Department of Intercollegiate Sports identified the game can proceed as scheduled with no seating adjustments. Illinois will continue to keep an eye on the location where the blaze took place and is”remediating smoke damage.”Firefighters responded to an alarm at the stadium soon prior to 8 p.m. Tuesday. According to the Champaign(Ill.)Fire Department, firemens saw heavy smoke coming from the southwest corner of the stadium, under the horseshoe section. They located the fire where arena groundskeeping devices is located and rapidly extinguished the blaze.The cause of the fire is not yet known, according to Champaign Fire, and one firefighter was taken to a local health center with minor injuries.Memorial Arena opened in 1923 and underwent a$ 121 million restoration in 2008. The school also finished upgrades to the east side of the stadium prior to the 2023 season.