Glasgow Fire crews investigate remains of Richardson Stadium at Gorin Park after a disastrous fire consumed much of the space’s first base area in the wee hours of Thursday, July 7, 2022. Crews were on scene for about four hours.
(GLASGOW PARKS AND RECREATION)
BY BRENNAN D. CRAIN, WCLU News
GLASGOW — The origin of an early morning fire Thursday at Gorin Park’s Richardson Stadium was determined to be electrical in nature, the state fire marshal said.
Fire crews responded to the scene at 201 Gorin Park Dr. just before 2 a.m. The fire was reported to be along the bleachers. The bulk of the baseball stadium was ablaze when units arrived, according to a news release from the Glasgow Fire Department.
The construct of the stadium was wooden up until its demise Thursday. The area was constructed in the late 1950s and named after John E. Richardson, a former attorney in the Glasgow area.
Generations of children, teens and community members passed through the stadium during its standing. Notification of the destruction sent shock among those closest to the structure.
“It’s almost like watching your childhood home be burned down,” said Byran Sorrell, a former player and assistant coach for Glasgow High’s baseball team.
Glasgow Scottie baseball fans have gathered in the grandstands for years to observe some of the greatest moments in the school’s baseball history. The program was highlighted when Sam Royse, the team’s longtime head coach, was honored in 2018 with naming rights to the field.
Royse said his wife’s phone began to ring around 2:04 a.m., and he awoke to learn of the fire which was engulfing the grandstands of the stadium just minutes from his home. He went to the site and witnessed the raging flames consume the site of his livelihood.
“It’s just been a big part of my life since I was a little guy,” he said.
Though the stadium has held generations of Scottie baseball fans, many little league spectators gathered there, too. As evidenced by a plethora of social media comments and reactions to the fire, community members of several generations hold onto vivid memories made at Richardson Stadium. Those are items intact despite the tangible devastation.
“The memories, the tradition, the nostalgia – that wasn’t destroyed at all,” Royse said.
Joe Myers, a local insurance agent and broadcaster, started commentating area sports for WCLU over 20 years ago and inherited the title of “The Voice of the Scotties.” But his memories of the stadium predate his time as a broadcaster. He recalls times as a boy when he went to the field with his father, who played in an adult league there. Myers later spent time at the stadium when he played baseball through middle and high school.
With a microphone in hand, a flip phone on his hip and headphones on his head, a photograph inside the radio station’s lobby showcases Myers interviewing a member of an area youth team.
“It’s been a sad day,” he said. “But at the same time, you hope that it will be able to be rebuilt just as it was before – at least very close to the same as it was before.”
William Rock, Glasgow Fire Chief, said the state’s fire marshal was called to inspect the scene to verify what his team suspected about the fire’s origin – an electrical mishap. The marshal was able to respond quicker than normal because he was in proximity when he was notified, Rock said.
Officials said evidence of “extreme charring” and decay was noted about the panel boxes at the stadium. The fire damaged much of the first base portion at the stadium. No forced entry to the park was noted, which led crews to rule out arson.
