Watch: Fire breaks out at the Gabba during DJ set
Credit: X / @BBL
A Big Bash League match was interrupted and spectators evacuated after a fire broke out in the DJ booth at the Gabba.
The game between Brisbane Heat and Hobart Hurricanes was just into its second innings when a commotion in the stands saw play stopped. A fire had broken out in the DJ booth, with a member of staff – not the DJ – calmly trying to put it out with a small hose.
Fans seated near the booth were evacuated and play was paused for more than 10 minutes. When it resumed, the Hurricanes won a last-ball thriller, the second case of the Heat being doused that evening. No spectators were hurt and the fire service was called to ensure the stadium was safe.
The Gabba, in the heart of Brisbane, is a legendary stadium that is slowly being phased out of use because its ageing facilities have fallen far behind more modern venues in other parts of Australia. Later this year, it could host host its final Ashes Test, but it has been relegated from its traditional season-opening slot in favour of Perth’s Optus Stadium.
The Gabba has hosted Test matches since 1931 but the plan is that its cricketing life will end 101 years later at the 2032 Brisbane Olympics, with a new stadium built in the city’s Victoria Park to host cricket and Australian rules football team the Brisbane Lions. Australia do not yet have any Tests scheduled at the Gabba beyond next summer because of the uncertainty around its future. It has a capacity of 37,000 – bigger than any cricket ground in England, but is smaller than its Australian rivals in Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth.
The Brisbane ground is nicknamed “the Gabbatoir” because visiting teams – not least England – have traditionally found it such an intimidating and difficult place to play. England have not won there since 1986, and Australia did not lose to anyone at the ground between 1989 and 2019. For Nasser Hussain (who infamously elected to bowl first), Steve Harmison (who bowled the first ball to second slip) and Rory Burns (bowled first ball) it is a place of cricketing nightmares.