Celebrations grow after Final Four win: Fire department reports over 80 fires, about 35 injuries
April 6, 2014
By Morgan Eads | News Editor
The State Street crowd on Saturday night was bigger and more rowdy than it has been for any other celebration during this year’s NCAA Tournament.
The roar of the crowd could be heard from several streets over, and beer bottles and burning shirts flew throughout the crowd.
More than 80 fires were reported to the Lexington Fire Department during the celebrations, Battalion Chief Brian Wainscott said.
About 35 injuries were treated, ranging from small lacerations to burns, Wainscott said.
The burns were mostly caused by people setting their clothes on fire, he said.
There were 21 arrests during the celebrations for alcohol intoxication and disorderly conduct, Lt. Eddie Hart said.
UK Police Chief Joe Monroe said UK police had made no arrests as of around 2 a.m. Sunday.
The crowd behaved “much better” than they did in the 2012 celebrations when UK won the National Championship, Monroe said.
Some of this, he said, can be attributed to the #CelebrateLikeAChampion hashtag started by UK President Eli Capilouto and other calls from the university for fans and students to represent UK well.
Starting at the final buzzer that pronounced UK’s win over Wisconsin, thousands of fans rushed onto State Street, where beer bottles were shattered on the pavement and couches went up in flames.
As the night progressed, fans burned shirts instead of couches, swinging flaming garments dangerously close to the crowd. Fireworks repeatedly detonated on the ground in the middle of the crowd.
The smell of alcohol and smoke filled the street during the celebrations, and multiple small fights broke out.
Some fans hoped that the celebrations would have been rowdier than they were.
“I think it’s great, but it’s not as good as last time,” said Morgan Goss, a 25-year-old Transylvania University graduate. “I don’t know if it’s the frequency of winning that they’ve grown used to, but the city just doesn’t know how to riot anymore.”
UK student James Jones was celebrating on State Street, but said that he is actually a UConn fan.
Jones said he was happy for his school, and that UK playing UConn in the National Championship game was something he could have never imagined.
“It’s a dream to me. It’s a win-win situation,” Jones said.
Jones was not the only person celebrating on State Street who was not a UK fan. Will Smith is a student at the Louisville and a Cardinals fan.
“I have a lot of friends that go to UK and I’m very happy for them,” Smith said. “It’s UofL on campus last year times 10. This is more than I could imagine.”
Ultimately, the celebrations would not sway Smith’s college basketball loyalties.
“I’m not going to say, ‘Go Cats,’ but this is awesome.”
