A League of Their Own In addition to being a beloved star-studded baseball movie, it will now also serve as a lasting tribute to the iconic venue where it was filmed.
On August 22, at around 11:30 p.m., the field at the Jay Littleton Baseball Field in Ontario, California, where the famous movie's baseball scenes were filmed, went up in flames. KABthe venue had been built in the 1930s and had a wooden grandstand that was quickly engulfed in flames during the fire. Firefighters arrived on the scene and saw fire rising from the stadium and dugout, but by that point it was too late.
The field was designated a historical landmark in 2003. In addition to the beloved 1992 film starring Tom Hanks, Madonna, Rosie O'Donnell, and Geena Davis, the stadium has also appeared in other sports films. Eight Men Outside And The Babe Ruth StoryAlthough the stand has been renovated several times since it first opened, city officials said it likely contains a lot of old, dry wood, creating perfect conditions for a large fire.
Unsurprisingly, locals were devastated by the loss of such a legendary place in the community.
“This stadium has been the heart of Ontario. It is a historic stadium [and] playground for our kids. And now, unfortunately, we won't have the opportunity to play there anymore,” said Aaron Matthiesen, president of the Ontario East Little League KAB.
The exact cause of the fire is not yet known, but Matthisen has come up with his own hypothesis. “We have had problems with homeless people in the park all the time,” he said KTTV“In the past, they've gone into the building and cut the gas line and hooked up their own gas… It just created chaos and unfortunately I think that's what happened.”
For now, this iconic structure will continue to live on in celluloid.