A beloved Ontario, California baseball field burned down late Thursday night, destroying a storied set for films including “A League of Their Own” and “Eight Men Out.”
Jay Littleton Ballpark boasts a nearly 80-year history, hosting the Ontario Orioles pro team during the 1947 season and a little league team today. According to Deadline, it was designated as a historic landmark in 2003.
“This ballpark has been the heart of Ontario. It’s a historical ballpark, a place to play for our kids,” Aaron Matthiesen, the president of the Ontario Eastern Little League, told ABC 7.
The stadium garnered wide recognition when it appeared in the Penny Marshall-directed “A League of Their Own,” starring Rosie O’Donnell, Tom Hanks, and Geena Davis, the backdrop to the 1992 blockbuster.
The fire broke out at around 11:30 p.m., and firefighters were able to quell the blaze, but not before it destroyed the wooden grandstands and dugout. Per ABC 7, police were investigating the fire at the Jay Littleton Ball Park as a potential arson attack.
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 fire had fully engulfed the park by the time responders arrived, per Key News Network. No injuries were reported in the after-hours blaze. According to the New York Post, investigators were combing through the rubble on Friday morning.
