Fire leads to abandoned match at Motherwell

Pat Fenlon was denied the chance of a debut win as Hibernian manager after his team’s match against Motherwell was abandoned at half-time last night because of an electrical fire.

Hibs were leading 1-0 thanks to a 16th-minute strike from Garry O’Connor when fans were asked to vacate the stadium after the teams failed to reappear for the second half.

Several fire engines appeared behind the South Stand, housing the away supporters, during the first half and numerous stewards and police gathered behind the structure amid coded messages over the public address system.

One of the floodlights in the South Stand went out after a 10-minute delay in the teams reappearing, and moments later it was announced the Clydesdale Bank Premier League match had been abandoned.

It was a disappointing outcome for a match that is part of a Friday night football pilot project. Motherwell had cut the admission price, and the home fans had responded by turning out in encouraging numbers.

More than 6,700 supporters took in the opening 45 minutes before being told over the public address system that the match had been abandoned because of “circumstances outwith our control”.

Chief inspector Brian Connel, the match commander, explained after the alert had been given that an investigation confirmed that smoke was coming from an electrical source in the south stand.

“I had no option but to call out fire and rescue at that point,” he said. “Fire and rescue identified the seat of the fire, which was part of the framework for the lighting column in the south east corner.”

Motherwell manager Stuart McCall, who was a witness to the Bradford fire which killed 56 people in 1985, said: “One million per cent safety must come first.”