The historic baseball field situated in Ontario, California, which has been featured in the 1992 classic movie "A League of Their Own," was destroyed in a fire on Thursday night.
A SoCal ballpark rich with Hollywood history goes up in flames in a raging inferno in Ontario. The suspicious fire gutting the Jay Littleton Ball Park, which was used in movies like "A League of Their Own" and "The Babe." The arson investigation - This morning at 6 from ABC7 pic.twitter.com/PByqo91a8b
— ABC7 Eyewitness News (@ABC7) August 23, 2024
The Jay Littleton BallPark was built in the 1930s, and became officially regarded as a historic landmark in 2003, however, it is now destroyed after being engulfed in flames.
Upon arriving at the scene, firefighters observed enormous flames coming from the stadium and dugout.
"Unfortunately, the extent of the fire... has ended with a complete loss of our stadium," said Ontario Fire Department Deputy Chief Michael Wedell.
Following the devastating news, the president of the Ontario Eastern Little League, Aaron Matthiesen, addressed how the city feels after the loss, while being interviewed by ABC 7.
"It went up like a box of matches... You're literally watching history burn... The dugout here on the third baseline is where Tom Hanks had his iconic line- 'There's no crying in baseball!'," Matthiesen added.
Today In 1992: "There's no crying! There's no crying in baseball!" ~ The all-time classic #baseball movie "A League of Their Own" starring Tom Hanks and directed by Penny Marshall is released. #AAGPBL #History https://t.co/AaN51ckU4Z
— Baseball by BSmile (@BSmile) July 1, 2020
Ultimately, residents and all those who enjoyed watching "A League of Their Own" are all saddened by what took place.
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"This ball park has been the heart of Ontario, it's a historical ball park, place to play for our kids," said Matthiesen. "Unfortunately, we're not going to be able to get a chance to play in it anymore."
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