The cause of the fire at St James Park which damaged a small area of the stadium is currently under investigation.

The fire, which broke out in the St James Road and Well Street corner of the stadium, caused damage to the buildings which house the stadium’s control room and medical room. Both areas have been damaged by the fire and the adjacent Adam Stansfield Stand has suffered some fire and smoke damage.

The fire service believe it was an accidental fire and is investigating the cause, which has not yet been confirmed.

The control room is critical to matchday operations, as it is where the safety team is based and the location from where the CCTV and supporters are monitored. We are working hard to ensure the home game against Burton Albion takes place on November 22 as scheduled.

Thank you to the members of the public who reported the incident and for the fast response of the fire crews who brought the fire under control preventing further damage.

We will continue to assess the damage today and will update when we have more information.