Fire part of disappointing day for Detroit Tigers fans

A parking lot fire near Comerica Park during Sunday’s Tigers game destroyed seven unoccupied vehicles and sent a dark plume of smoke into the afternoon sky, visible to thousands of fans in the stadium.

The fire began shortly after 3:30 p.m. near the center of the parking lot by Gratiot and Beaubien and was extinguished within minutes by Detroit fire crews.

Thomas Harrell, 27, of Detroit described the scene as the fire spread. “You could hear it going boom, boom,” said Harrell, who was walking in the area. “It was a lot of smoke.”

The vehicles involved were heavily damaged, with melted interiors, incinerated upholstery and blown-out windows and tires.

Related: Tigers lose 9-3 to Orioles, fall below .500 for first time

No one was injured in the fire, which occurred during the middle innings of the baseball game. At least four of the vehicle owners were at the stadium; the privately owned lot was unattended as fire crews worked the scene just after 4 p.m.

The official cause of the fire was not yet determined, although Detroit police Officer Eric Croxton said it may have been sparked by snapped wires that ran between the parking lot’s attendant hut and a billboard.

For those who returned to the lot after the Tigers' 9-3 loss to the Orioles to find their vehicle incinerated, it was a day of back-to-back misfortune.

“It wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t such a lousy game,” said Mike Grant of Lowell, whose 2014 Chevrolet Malibu was among the vehicles damaged.

Mike Noonan of Flushing was walking back from the game with his wife, Cathy, and their two young sons, when he noticed a large group standing in the lot where they parked. He then saw a row of burnt vehicles — and what was left of their 2004 Chevy Tahoe.

“The whole thing is gone, buddy,” Noonan told his son, Parker. “That’s why we pay insurance.”

Police officers warned not to get too close to the wreckage because of live wires on the ground and at least one car that was leaking fuel.

The car that was leaking was the Audi Q5 that belonged to Chris Sing of Chelsea, who attended Sunday’s game with her son.

She said they saw the black smoke during the game, but “we had no clue that was us.”

Contact JC Reindl at 313-222-6631 or jcreindl@freepress.com