Flames damage McMahon H.S. football field

<p>A weekend fire at Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk caused thousands of dollars of damage to the football field, officials say.&nbsp;</p>

News 12 Staff

Jul 11, 2017, 6:51 PM

Updated 2,641 days ago

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A weekend fire at Brien McMahon High School in Norwalk caused thousands of dollars of damage to the football field, officials say.
The fire left a circular pattern of burns near the 50-yard line of Casagrande Field, as it's called, scorching the "M" there that is a source of pride for students and athletes.
"They take it very personal," says Joe Madaffari, the school's athletics director. "You have a lot of people that have been through this building and had great experiences...This is the last thing they do when they graduate...They walk across the M as they're leaving."
Madaffari is asking anyone with information on the incident to come forward.
The field uses artificial turf, which Madaffari says he thinks was damaged by a group of people setting of fireworks around 2 a.m. Sunday. He says the school found debris from the fireworks on the field and in garbage cans.
Madaffari says someone in that group called 911 in time for the fire department to contain the damage.
Repairs could vary in cost. The cheaper option involves replacing the burned sections with small patches, which Madaffari says is not the best way to fix the field. The more expensive option involves replacing an entire sideline strip of turf.