WASECA, Minn. - One of Minnesota's great baseball treasures was reduced to ashes Wednesday night.
Fire crews in Waseca were called to Tink Larson Field for a blaze in the grandstand. Many of the seats were transplanted from the old Metropolitan Stadium. The flames tore through the concession stand, the grandstand, and swallowed part of the grandstand roof.
Tink Larson field in Waseca..wow.
Posted by Jake Marquette on Wednesday, April 6, 2016
“It was 50 years of our lives,” Tink Larson told KARE 11 Wednesday night. “I’m just devastated. I have so many memories there, a lot of great players, a lot of great games, a lot of great friendships developed in the clubhouse. It was my whole life.”
The baseball field has been there since 1938. It was named after Larson, the longtime head baseball coach, in 1994.
No injuries have been reported.
The State Fire Marshal was on scene Thursday investigating the cause of the fire, which has not yet been determined. More investigators will be on scene Friday.
The field is home to the Waseca High School baseball team, which was supposed to play there Friday. It has also been used by generations of VFW, American Legion and Town Ball players.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to rebuild the iconic baseball field. Many in the Waseca and greater Minnesota baseball community took to social media to express their sorrow and memories.
Praying no one was hurt. Waseca's Tink Larsen Field is a MN treasure. Baseball community will rally. https://t.co/g0KjdaDJCd
— Dave St. Peter (@TwinsPrez) April 7, 2016
Sad day for Waseca. Awful fire. We will build back Tink Larson Field bigger and better than ever. Count it. pic.twitter.com/XMieEueLOy
— Nick Rathmann (@coachrath) April 7, 2016
I have played hundreds of baseball games on Tink Larson Field and the memories are never ending and now just like that it's gone. #sadtweet
— Nick Paczkowski (@Paczkowski19) April 7, 2016