Flame out: NFL field pyrotechnics get brief ban - 2 minutes read
The NFL has placed a temporary ban on all flame effects and pyrotechnics used on its playing fields as it investigates a fire at the Tennessee Titans' Nissan Stadium in Week 2.
The league confirmed the moratorium in a statement Friday morning, saying it will remain in place at least until its review of the incident is completed. According to a separate statement from the Minnesota Vikings, teams can still use pyrotechnics away from the field, such as those released along the roof of U.S. Bank Stadium.
Last Sunday, one of the pyrotechnics machines the Titans use during pregame player introductions caught on fire after the Titans welcomed former players back to the field to celebrate the retirement of the jerseys of Eddie George and Steve McNair.
Flames shot horizontally from one of the units. No one was standing in the path of the flames when it malfunctioned.
The staff at Nissan Stadium rushed to the unit and doused it with fire extinguishers while that corner of the field was evacuated. Nobody was injured. The area where the accident happened was off the field in the corner of the end zone, where the Titans come out of the tunnel. The machine was covered with sand.
ESPN Titans reporter Turron Davenport contributed to this report.