Hurricane Milton rips roof off Tampa Bay Rays’ Tropicana Field

Oct. 10 (UPI) — The fierce winds of Hurricane Milton ripped the roof off Tropicana Field, the home of MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays, in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Videos and photos of the tattered, six-acre, teflon-coated fiberglass covering was posted Wednesday and Thursday on social media platforms. That footage showed the roof’s remains blowing in the strong winds as rain poured onto the lit field.

Cots had been set up on the field, but the first responders set to be staged in the area were relocated before the damage occurred. The world’s largest cable-supported, domed roof was built to withstand winds of up to 115 mph, according to the Rays media guide.

Tropicana Field opened in 1990.

About 3 million people were left without power Wednesday along Florida’s west coast as a result of Hurricane Milton. The storm made landfall at about 8:30 p.m. EDT as a Category 3 hurricane, carrying maximum sustained winds of 115 mph.