Well, you don't see it every night. On Saturday, the Raptors game against the Indiana Pacers at the Scotiabank Arena in Toronto was delayed after a speaker caught fire. As a result all the fans present were asked to vacate the arena. According to Raptors public address announcer Herbie Kuhn, the evacuation was precautionary, as there was no immediate risk to fans in the arena.
The competition halted in the second quarter, with the Raptors leading the Pacers 66–38, and lasted over an hour. Court action eventually resumed, but fans were not allowed to re-enter the field. The Raptors issued the following statement regarding the situation:
Everything has been cleared out to the Scotiabank Arena. The game against the Pacers will resume without any fans in the building. Tickets will be returned within 30 days. We apologize to all of our fans who made it to the game tonight and we thank our fans for their continued support.
The situation was a unique one, and it was probably very upsetting for the fans who went to the game and were forced to leave early. However, at least they will get the refund. And ultimately, the fact that no one got hurt is the most important thing. You can't blame the Raptors or the arena for being careful. The Raptors won the game 131-91.