$50K to fix baseball infield set on fire with gasoline to dry out base path

Unidentified people tend to a blaze on Ridgefield's Ciuccoli Field on Saturday afternoon April 8, 2019. before Ridgefield High School was set to play Amity in a baseball game. Police are still investigating the reason and responsible parties involved, which the town says will cost an estimated $50,000 to clean up. The game was moved to Amity's field in Woodbridge by the afternoon. Ridgefield won, 5-4. less Unidentified people tend to a blaze on Ridgefield's Ciuccoli Field on Saturday afternoon April 8, 2019. before Ridgefield High School was set to play Amity in a baseball game. Police are still investigating the ... more Photo: @AmityNorton On Twitter Photo: @AmityNorton On Twitter Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close $50K to fix baseball infield set on fire with gasoline to dry out base path 1 / 8 Back to Gallery

RIDGEFIELD - As police investigate who dumped gasoline and set it on fire at Ciuccoli Field Saturday morning, the town has begun its costly cleanup process.

Six to eight inches of gas-soaked soil was excavated from the infield Saturday night into Sunday afternoon, and five or six containers of contaminated dirt will be transported from the site on Monday.

What will the damage cost?

"It's looking like it will cost $50,000 and could even exceed that," First Selectman Rudy Marconi said Sunday night.

"It doesn't seem like a lot but it's a very, very expensive process."

Marconi was mum on who was responsible for pouring 25 gallons of gasoline onto the home field of the Ridgefield High School baseball team. He indicated that 75 to 100 people witnessed the incident — with some recording it on their cellphones — and that it was still under police investigation.

"They collected quite a bit of evidence yesterday," Marconi said. "Whether or not someone gets charged, it's the police department's decision to make....

"There were plenty of witnesses," he added. "I don't know how they ignited it but it could be out there on one of the cellphone videos."

@GameTimeCT @amityathletics @SPBowley

Field Maintenance at Governors Field in Ridgefield. First responders currently on scene. Game being moved? Environmental Hazard? pic.twitter.com/9eKd2JcBJC — NortonAmityTeacher (@AmityNorton) April 6, 2019

Marconi said the high school team was scheduled to take on Amity at 11 a.m. Saturday, and when parents from both sides showed up they noticed the field was soggy.

"The basepath — the dirt part of the field — was wet and it was evident that they'd have to relocate or cancel because of the conditions," he said. "Someone had idea to put gas on the surface. Let it burn to dry up the water and make the field playable.

"Unfortunately, it was not a very good idea," he added. "In theory it sounded plausible, I guess, to those who participated."

One thing was clear to Marconi when he arrived Saturday afternoon: Nobody considered the environmental consequences.

@GameTimeCT @amityathletics @SPBowley

Field Maintenance at Governors Field in Ridgefield. First responders currently on scene. Game being moved? Environmental Hazard? pic.twitter.com/9eKd2JcBJC — NortonAmityTeacher (@AmityNorton) April 6, 2019

"I'm not aware of who exactly it was who got the gas but what we do know is that someone did use some gas around third base and that seemed to work," he said. "Others then went to get more gas and began spreading it from second over to the third ... they lit up that little area and it dried it up. Everyone thought it was working. They thought they could take care of the whole field with gas. ... One person said they had done it in the past."

Marconi said that if anybody would have researched the practice of using gas to dry up wet soil that they would have found it doesn't work.

"It's been done before, and every situation that's out there ends with negative consequences," he said.

"Maybe it worked 50 to 60 years when there were no environmental regulations but nowadays it's a definite no no."

Weekend cleanup

Workers from the state's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) responded to the scene Saturday along with Pete Hill, director of Ridgefield Public Works.

Marconi said officials from the parks and recreation and highway departments were also called, as well as the town fire department.

"It was clear by the time all of us were on the scene that it was a contamination issue," Marconi said.

DEEP employees worked with Hill to find a certified emergency response company that specializes in hazardous waste removal.

"They began digging around 8 p.m. last night and went until around midnight," Marconi said. "They started first thing Sunday and concluded around 5:30-6 p.m."

Rest of week

The spill team will transport at least five containers full of contaminated soil off site Monday, Marconi said.

"Samples of remaining soil have been taken and will be submitted to the lab first thing in the morning," the first selectman said Sunday night.

"Hopefully, we can get a quick turnaround and begin the repairs and putting in the new soil Tuesday into Wednesday."

He estimated that the team could return to the field possibly later in the week.

"There were high school games scheduled that have been moved to the opponent's field Monday and Wednesday," Marconi said. "We should probably know more by Wednesday."

Lessons

Marconi said the incident could be used as a teachable moment for people everywhere.

"Everybody is helpful and wants to jump in to get something done," he said, "but what's important to remember out of this is that if something doesn't seem right or doesn't look right, in all likelihood, it isn't right. I had several people come up to me at the field and say that it felt wrong but nobody said 'stop.'

"I believe one person went over to the police station, and I'm not sure if it was someone from Ridgefield or from the visiting team but the bottom line is you cannot spread 25 gallons of gas on the infield of a baseball field — it's all clay and it soaks right in."

Marconi said the one positive from the event was that no one was injured, and no one was in danger.

"First question our insurance company asked was, 'Is everyone OK?' and fortunately, we could tell them 'yes' — that's the good news."

Looking for other areas of optimism, the first selectman said contamination was limited to the infield and didn't spread into the grass.

"It was strictly in the dirt and didn't travel anywhere else, thankfully," he said. "It was isolated to the specific areas where it was poured and we were able to get it out early before any rain. We had good weather this weekend and that helped limit the potential seriousness of the contamination. If it had rained, the water could have soaked it and spread it more."

Despite Mother Nature lending a helping hand, gasoline being poured onto a baseball field and lit on fire by a crowd of parents seemed to draw the attention of the town's insurance company.

"One of the insurance representatives I spoke with this weekend said that in all of the years he's been in the business, this was in the top five 'wait, what happened?' phone calls he's ever received," Marconi said. "And they've received a lot of claims over the years."