Thank goodness this wasn’t more serious. The New Orleans Fire Department extinguished an early-morning construction fire at the Caesars Superdome on Wednesday, reporting no injuries and no damage to any public areas within the stadium. Arena officials characterized the situation as a “minor smoke incident” to FOX 8’s Andrés Fuentes.
WDSU’s Fletcher Mackel shared a statement from Caesars Superdome officials which said two security workers were being evaluated for smoke inhalation, but that the NOFD “deemed the building safe for occupancy” and that scheduled events will continue as planned. That includes the Saints’ regular season finale with the Carolina Panthers on Jan. 8.
This is the second time in as many years that a fire has broken out at the Caesars Superdome after equipment used to clean the structure’s roof caught aflame back in Sept. 2021, with one worker needing medical attention. We’re fortunate these incidents haven’t been worse.
Extensive renovations are ongoing to modernize the Caesars Superdome’s interior and improve the guest experience, including a new system of escalators to ease traffic flow and updated concessions options, plus upgraded restroom facilities, among other changes. That work is on track to be completed in 2024, ahead of the 2025 Super Bowl to be hosted in New Orleans.