Freedom Wind Tunnel demolition debris catches fire at Patriot Place near Gillette Stadium
A small fire was knocked down at a business that is being demolished at Patriot Place, not far from Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts early Tuesday morning.
It happened around 4:10 a.m. at Freedom Wind Tunnel. A Patriot Place security guard first reported the flames.
Foxboro Fire Chief Michael Kelleher said the small roof fire started in debris and insulation that was left behind during demolition.
One firefighter suffered a minor injury, but did not need to be taken to the hospital. Kelleher said the fire is not considered suspicious at this time. No additional details on the fire are currently available.
The Freedom Wind Tunnel project was announced in 2019 with an anticipated opening in the fall of 2020. Construction for the business got underway, but the opening date was later pushed back to 2022. It never opened its doors to customers.
The business was supposed to be an indoor skydiving facility with a wind tunnel that would have stood more than 100 feet tall.
Former U.S. Army Airborne Ranger Neal Gouck, an assistant dean at UMass Dartmouth, was in charge of the business. The facility said it would include a virtual reality fly into an NFL stadium that would have allowed skydivers to simulate delivering the game ball to the 50-yard line.
According to , the business suffered from legal and financial issues, forcing it to be demolished before ever opening.
In April, the that Foxboro officials approved after-hours demolition at the Freedom Wind Tunnel facility.
