Burning TV Yule log makes Riders fans think stadium is burning

Officials at Mosaic Stadium turn off burning log after fire department receives frantic 911 calls

Saskatchewan Roughriders football fans love their team. For the days surrounding the Grey Cup many were out in their green gear all around the city of Toronto even though the Riders weren't even playing in the Cup.

So imagine what some must have been thinking when they saw flames coming out of Regina's Mosaic Stadium, where the team plays the home games.

Four people placed frantic calls to 911 about what appeared to be a fire, but there was no real fire. It was just an image of a burning Yule log that was playing on the video scoreboard and on banner screens across the stands. In some cases people even reported smelling smoke.

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The images, which are similar to a TV channel, were played for weeks until the fire department finally got fed up with fielding the calls.

"I'm hoping that we can eliminate this and put something a little more appropriate up," said deputy fire chief Gerard Kay. "I mean, it is appropriate, but it is a public safety concern."

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Kay was hoping the Roughriders would go with something like snowflakes or Santa, but instead the sign now reads a thank you message to fans. They plan to put up another holiday-themed display later.

We suggest that instead of a winter display, they put on the aquarium channel next time. If it is as real as the Yule log, maybe residents of Regina, where the temperature was -7 degrees Celsius on Saturday, will think they've been transported to the warm Caribbean.

(CBC photo)

With files from CBC

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