West Virginia Football Fans Set Fires After Upset

Nov. 21, 2002
Emergency dispatchers reported that at one point there were fires burning throughout the city.

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) -- West Virginia students set fires on campus and hundreds tore down the goal posts at Mountaineer Field after the football team's road upset of No. 13 Virginia Tech on Wednesday night.

Emergency dispatchers reported that at one point there were fires burning throughout the city. Flames from one reached about 10-feet high as fans threw couches, mattresses, doors, clothes, carpets, firecrackers and anything else they could find into the blaze.

Three people were arrested, but police did not disclose the charges. A dispatcher said the department would issue no more information Thursday morning.

``We do not condone the type of destructive behavior that occurred last night,'' West Virginia president David Hardesty said Thursday.

``Celebrating a great victory is one thing, but doing it irresponsibly is another. We regret the actions of a few are reflecting poorly on others.''

Bumper-to-bumper traffic packed downtown streets as drivers honked their horns in celebration of the win in Blacksburg, Va., hindering emergency response. Firefighters had to use water hoses to disperse the crowds and gain access to a fire that burned too close to a house.

Power lines and utility poles burned in several neighborhoods, leading Allegheny Power to shut off power to one area just before midnight. About 170 customers were without power for about three hours, a power company spokesman said.

A few students calmly gathered around one fire, rubbing their hands together to stay warm.

Others were more raucous, vandalizing road signs, jumping on the hoods of cars and yelling obscenities at police officers.

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