WATCH: Massive Fire at Hongkou Stadium

By Lauren Hogan

A fire erupted this morning (March 28) at approximately 8.30am at the home of Shanghai Shenhua: Hongkou Stadium. It was extinguished at around 9.30am.

There were reports of burning material falling from the stadium. 

Firefighters are reporting no injuries or deaths so far.

The blaze reportedly started because of construction in the rock climbing center on the second floor. By the looks of things, it seems like the fire did some serious damage.

Parts of Dongjiangwan Lu, which is adjacent to the stadium, remained closed off to traffic today while the fire department sorted out the situation. 

Exits 1 and 2 on Metro Line 3 were also blocked off. Metro passengers have been advised to use Exits 3 and 4.

Meanwhile, video has emerged of the fire. Watch below:

https://v.qq.com/txp/iframe/player.html?vid=w0023cc0fvz&width=500&height=375&auto=0

Shanghai Shenhua have yet to release a statement on the incident. They are set to play Changchun Yatai at the stadium on April 16, but will likely need to select a new venue. No word yet on where (and if) the game will be relocated.

As the smoke subsided, an image showing a man sporting a Beijing Guo'an jacket at the scene of the blaze made the rounds on social media. Wrong place, wrong time, etc:

Coincidence? We're gonna go with"yes."

Still, that hasn't stopped some netizens from wondering just what a fan from one of Shenhua's biggest rivals was doing at the stadium while it went up in flames.

"Hey, Guo'an fan in the front, did you set the fire?" one asked.

"Guo'an's plot??" inquired another.

"Guo'an dude stole the thunder,"another joked.

Naturally, there are memes:

We'll keep you updated as we continue to hear more. For the latest updates, click “Read more” below.