A fire broke out at a major football stadium, forcing the entire venue to be evacuated. Smoke engulfed the pitch and stands at Sweden’s national team stadium as AIK hosted Djurgardens at the 50,000-capacity Strawberry Arena in Stockholm. The away side were leading 2-1 following an action-packed opening to their Allsvenskan league fixture.
However, with just 25 minutes on the clock, the referee halted the match as players were instructed to leave the pitch due to the fire in the stands. The cause of the blaze remains unclear, though it is thought it may have been triggered by flares inside the ground. Television cameras captured the dramatic scenes as supporters cleared the area while the flames took hold.
Thick plumes of smoke billowing from the fire across the pitch were visible in striking footage and images circulating on social media.
Emergency services rushed to the scene and deployed hoses to bring the blaze under control. AIK’s head of security, Henrik Koch, confirmed the fire was extinguished without anyone sustaining injuries.
Koch said: “No injuries occurred and the fire was extinguished.”
The match restarted later and Djurgardens added a third in first-half injury time, with the match finishing 4-2.
There was a second delay in the second half when home fans set off more flares, risking another evacuation, while players were taken off the pitch to hold an emergency meeting once again.
Match delegate Hans Larsson told TV4: “We have had a match meeting due to the second incident, which happened one minute into the second half.
“We had protruding pieces and then the regulations say that we should have a match meeting. It was a fairly effective match meeting.
“We have been given a green light by the police and the organiser. They have the situation under control.”
The stadium, once known as the Friends Arena, has been home to the Sweden national team since it opened in 2012.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored four goals in the country’s first match at the ground that year in a 4-2 win over England.