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A piece of Hollywood history is gone.
The Jay Littleton Ball Park, located in Ontario, California, where scenes from the classic movie “A League of Their Own” were filmed, was destroyed in a fire that began on Thursday night.
The Ontario Fire Department shared a statement on social media that the first fire engine responded to the scene around 11:30 p.m. local time, with additional resources requested to fight the blaze which had been first spotted in the wooden grandstands.
A total of 51 personnel worked to put out the fire, and a search confirmed no victims were located.
A view of the remains of the historic wooden grandstand and dugouts after a late Thursday morning fire destroyed the historic baseball field and filming location at Jay Littleton Ball Park in Ontario, Calif., on Saturday. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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The fire department also noted that the cause “remains under investigation.”
The ballpark’s all-wooden grandstands were constructed in 1937, and the facility was regularly used by amateur leagues over the years, only hosting one professional team, the Ontario Orioles, in 1947.
Its historical appearance made it popular for filming, most notably the 1992 classic “A League of Their Own,” starring Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, and Madonna, directed by Penny Marshall.
According to Aaron Matthiesen, president of the Ontario Eastern Little League, in an interview with ABC 7, “The dugout here on the third baseline is where Tom Hanks had his iconic line: ‘There’s no crying in baseball!'”
According to Aaron Matthiesen, president of the Ontario Eastern Little League, Tom Hanks’ famous “There’s no crying in baseball!” scene was filmed at the ballpark. (Everett/Shutterstock)
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Matthiesen also told FOX 11 that homelessness had been an ongoing issue with the park.
“We constantly have issues with the homeless at the park,” he told the outlet. “In the past, they’ve broken into the building and cut the gas line so they could hook up their own gas…it’s just fallen in disarray, and I unfortunately think that’s what happened.”
The Ontario Fire Department and City of Ontario did not immediately respond to Digital’s request for comment.
The scorched remains of the historic wooden grandstand and dugouts frame a view of the scoreboard after a late Thursday morning fire destroyed the historic baseball field at Jay Littleton Ball Park in Ontario, Calif. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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Other famous films shot at the park include “Eight Men Out,” starring John Cusack, “The Babe Ruth Story,” and most recently Amazon Prime’s TV series version of “A League of Their Own.”
Dan Bell, Ontario’s director of communications, told Entertainment Weekly, “It’s a terrible loss for our community. Everyone here either played or had relatives or kids who played on that field over the years. In its 87 years of existence, a lot of people played on that field.”
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Bell also clarified that the field is intact, but the stands are completely gone. “We’ll have to look at what we’re gonna do in the future with that field,” he told the outlet. “Being such a significant part of our city’s history, we’ll look at how we move forward with it.”
