WATCH: Fire Alarm Suspends Preseason Opener for NBA Champion Milwaukee Bucks, Forces Fans to Evacuate

Brandon ContesOct 6th, 2021, 5:00 pm
 

For the second time in recent months, fans were evacuated out of a Milwaukee Bucks game to the sound of blaring fire alarms.

On their way to an NBA Championship last season, a fire alarm forced everyone to exit Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum following a Bucks win over the Brooklyn Nets during the playoffs. With the Bucks looking to defend their title, their preseason opener against the Grizzlies was cut short as a fire alarm again forced an evacuation, this time at the FedExForum in Memphis.

The nationally televised game on TNT returned from a commercial break for the start of the fourth quarter. But with the Bucks leading Memphis 87-77, play-by-play voice Kevin Harlan informed viewers of the delay and expressed uncertainty about a potential restart.

“A fire alarm has gone off, lights are blinking, fans have been told to leave their seats and leave the building…our night may be over!” Harlan said.

“You just said a minute ago you smell smoke?” Harlan asked his TNT analyst and former NBA head coach Stan Van Gundy.

“I don’t know,” Van Gundy answered, acknowledging that his senses may have been triggered by the “power of suggestion,” rather than an actual fire.

Arena officials later confirmed there was no fire, and the delay was caused by a sprinkler in a non-public area. The exhibition game was finally called more than an hour after the delay.

“With the lengthy delay, the league, in consultation with the Bucks and the Grizzlies, has determined not to complete the game in the interest of player safety,” the NBA announced.

The Bucks had no interest in restarting the game even before the league decided to bypass the fourth quarter. Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer was already seen wheeling his suitcase across the court, with no intention of returning to the sideline.

Players followed suit, exiting the locker room in street clothes, while staff walked out holding trays of food for the postgame meal, giving the league no choice but to end the exhibition.

Watch above via TNT

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