Blaze Closes Arlington Park

A five-alarm fire possibly caused by an electrical malfunction destroyed a section of the Arlington Park Race Track early today, forcing suspension of racing but causing no injuries.

The fire apparently broke out in the clubhouse section, then spread to the first level of the five-story grandstand, which was built in 1927. The closest stables are 500 yards away and horses were never in danger. The track hosts the Budweiser Million, one of thoroughbred racing’s richest races.