Blazing fire brings Premier League 2 game between Middlesbrough and Stoke to a halt
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A PREMIER League 2 football match was called to a dramatic halt after the stadium went up in flames.
Middlesbrough's clash with Stoke City was stopped three minutes before half time on Friday after a fire broke out in the ladies toilets.
The stand at Bishop Auckland's Heritage Park was immediately evacuated as firefighters fought to tackle the blaze.
Players from both sides were joined on the pitch by coaching staff as they watched on and waited for the fire to be put out.
Thankfully, there appears to have been no causalities.
After a delay of 35 minutes the referee was given the green light to resume play.
Despite the restart, supporters were not allowed back in the damaged stand.
The cause of the fire has not been confirmed.
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Stoke were leading the clash 1-0 thanks to a penalty from Tyrese Campbell.
The usual half time break was also reduced because of the earlier delay with both sides agreeing to have just a five minute interval.
The delay seemed to effect the Stoke side the most as they squandered their advantage.
They were reduced to ten men when Cameron McJannet was shown a second yellow card before George Miller and a late own goal from Luis Da Silva sealed Boro a 2-1 win and continued their 100 per cent start to the campaign.
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