Mighty column of smoke

Flame inferno causes match to be canceled in England!

Flame inferno right next to the Southampton FC stadium(Bild: twitter.com/hogequeen)

Alarm in Southampton on the south coast of England: a flaming inferno right next to the Southampton FC stadium has triggered a major firefighting operation! The fire broke out in a warehouse around 60 meters from the gates of St. Mary's Stadium and caused great concern due to the exorbitant amount of smoke alone ... 

"Firefighters are working desperately to fight the fire. Meanwhile, warehouse workers are trying to move stacks of pallets to safety from the fire," according to a report on the inferno by The Southern Daily Echo. It is currently impossible to say exactly what caused the fire, but it is certain that it is the biggest in Southampton for many years.

Large area around the stadium cordoned off
The fire department was on site with over 20 emergency vehicles - but struggled for hours to bring the fire under control. The public was asked to keep windows and doors closed, and the area around the scene - and therefore also around the stadium - was cordoned off.

"... that today's Championship game has been postponed!"
For Southampton FC, who were coached by Styrian Ralph Hasenhüttl between 2018 and 2022, this means that the Second Division clash with Preston North End scheduled for tonight cannot take place. "Southampton Football Club regrets to announce that tonight's Championship fixture has been postponed. The decision has been taken following consultation with the local authorities and emergency services."

The incident had caused significant problems in the area, with roads around the stadium closed and firefighters struggling to cope with the situation.