Fire evacuates 2005 DCI Classic Countdown
No injuries were reported last night when the 2005 DCI Classic Countdown telecast in Bellingham - Massachusetts, was evacuated due to a nearby mulch fire, according to Lt. Joseph Robidoux of the Bellingham fire department.
All 14 screens of the theater complex - the Classic Countdown was appearing on one screen -- were evacuated around 8 p.m., during the 1980 27th Lancers performance, according to DCI contest coordinator Tony DiCarlo, who was at the event. DiCarlo estimated that 200 drum corps fans were in attendance.
"The building was never actually burned. The smoke made its way underneath the outside sheathing of the building", said Robidoux, adding that the blaze initially "was reported as a fire in the building." The misreporting of the blaze led the Bellingham Fire Department to deploy two extra engines and an extra ladder to the scene, Robidoux said.
Drum corps fans attending the Bellingham event are eligible to receive two free movie passes as a result of the evacuation, according to Bellingham 14 assistant manager Jim Cody. The evacuation happened right after the 27th Lancers drum solo, as the corps went into its traditional performance of 'Danny Boy', according to DiCarlo. "So the crowd walked out of there singing 'Danny Boy'." (Text: dci.org, Dave Wilson)
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