Illinois, which has lost three of its last four games, is set to host Big Ten foe Nebraska Friday inside the program’s Memorial Stadium, but that may be in jeopardy.
University of Illinois officials are evaluating damage to Memorial Stadium after a fire Tuesday night. The university said the fire broke out in the southwest corner underneath the horseshoe away from spectator areas.
The fire was extinguished and no injuries were reported.
The fire wasn’t able to spread too far, though there was some damage to maintenance equipment inside the stadium walls.
The university released a statement on the matter:
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“A fire occurred Tuesday night at Memorial Stadium. It was located in the southwest corner underneath the horseshoe, away from spectator areas. The fire was quickly contained and has been extinguished, thanks to the efforts of our local fire department. There were no injuries reported…
The Illinois football team hosts Nebraska at Memorial Stadium on Friday at 7:00 p.m. DIA will continue to evaluate the facility over the course of the next day, but early indications are positive that the stadium will be prepared to host the game, as scheduled and without interruption of seating or services for the game on Friday.”
The 100-year-old Memorial Stadium already has hosted three of the program’s seven scheduled home games this season.
Early indications are that the Fighting Illini football game scheduled for Friday night versus Nebraska can take place as scheduled. Illnois is currently 2-3 on the year and 0-2 in the conference. They sit in 6th place in the Big Ten West.
