Ballpark fire probed as arson in Harrison

Arson is suspected in a fire that destroyed buildings at Harrison’s Wheeler Baseball Complex during the weekend and forced the cancellation of Sunday games.

The early morning fire at the two-field complex in the 1200 block of Main Street destroyed the complex’s concession building and a storage building, Harrison Fire Department Battalion Chief Craig Taylor said Tuesday.

Taylor said arson was suspected because the burned buildings smelled of gasoline, and there was a trail of what appeared to be burned gas from one building to the other. The buildings were about 100 feet apart.

Harrison Police Chief Paul Woodruff confirmed the department was investigating the fire as an arson because of the distance between the buildings that burned. He said one person was interviewed about the fire but was cleared and released. There were no other suspects as of Tuesday and the investigation is ongoing.

Taylor said three pumper crews were sent to the fire at 6:07 a.m. Sunday. It took firefighters about 30 minutes to extinguish the fire, but they remained on the scene mopping up for another hour. No firefighters were injured and no equipment was damaged.

One of the co-owners of the complex, Billy Drewry of Mountain Home, said Tuesday he didn’t know of anyone who would want to burn the buildings.

He said the complex had security cameras police collected, and he hoped they would shed some light on what happened. Woodruff said investigators were trying to get images from the cameras Tuesday.

Seven baseball teams of boys ages 12 and younger in the U.S. Special Sports Association baseball system were scheduled to play on the fields Sunday, Drewry said. Some teams traveled to Harrison from as far away as Springfield, Mo.

There had been games on the field Saturday. But after the fire Sunday, Drewry said, fire and police officials wouldn’t allow anyone on the fields and the games were canceled.

“I hate it for the kids who didn’t get to play Sunday,” Drewry said.

The games couldn’t have proceeded with no facilities for the players or spectators, he said.

The concession stand was equipped with stoves and refrigerators and stocked with hamburgers, hot dogs and snacks, Drewry said. The building also included the complex’s restrooms.

The complex is insured, Drewry said. He hoped the insurance claim payment would be enough to rebuild.

“We’re coming back,” he said. “It’s just a matter of when.”

Woodruff said an insurance investigator is expected to arrive in Harrison to look into the fire.