Fire At Empower Field At Mile High Stadium Extinguished

DENVER (CBS4) - A fire at Empower Field at Mile High Stadium in Denver was extinguished after it sparked a plume of smoke that could be seen for miles on Thursday afternoon. Investigators are holding a news conference at 3 p.m. to discuss the fire. Watch it live on CBS News Colorado.

Fire crews arrived at the stadium to find heavy, thick black smoke and flames. Firefighters got the fire under control shortly after arriving. Sprinklers from the fire suppression system attempted to stop the fire but firefighters were needed to completely extinguish the fire.

Six rows of seats in two sections were destroyed in the fire near the suites. About 100 people were attending an event on the second level, but the stadium was otherwise empty.

Copter4 flew over the damage which showed firefighters hosing down the burned area and the area above it. About 1,000 square feet burned inside the stadium.

The fire occurred in a construction zone near the East Club Lounge inside the stadium. The stadium was evacuated as a precaution. No one was injured.

The fire was reportedly under control shortly before 3 p.m. What caused the fire is being investigated.

"Our fire investigators are very thorough," said Denver Fire Capt. Greg Pixley. "Our investigators will determine what caused the fire and how it spread so quickly."

Pixley said that the seats contain certain petroleum products which help the fire burn at a high temperature and a significant speed.

"We know it's windy, the wind could have pushed that fire," said Pixley.