This is ongoing breaking news. This story will be updated as more information is acquired.
City of Athens Fire Department and Richland Area Fire Department responded to a call at Bird Ice Arena on Ohio University’s campus around 10 p.m. Tuesday.
The Post received a tip at 10:11 p.m. that the Bird Ice Arena was on fire. The Post representatives arrived on scene shortly after to find Athens and Richland Fire Departments responding to the call.
Ohio University Police Department and ambulances were also present at the scene. There are no known injuries at this time.
The Post was directed to University Communications and Marketing when they approached officials Tuesday night. At this time, The Post has yet to receive a comment from either of the fire departments or UCM.
Classes taking place at the arena were canceled for Wednesday, according to a Fundamentals of Ice Skating class cancellation email forwarded to The Post at 10:08 p.m.
According to the email, the incident “shouldn’t affect class on Friday or the long-term functionality of the rink.” However, this still has not been confirmed by university officials.
In 2024, Bird Ice Arena closed for unexpected repairs, according to a previous report by The Post. This closure lasted until January 2025, affecting the DI and DII hockey teams’ schedules and several student organizations reliant on the space.
