UPDATE: later in the morning, Georgia Tweeted that their meet against Emory has been cancelled. The Bulldogs will hold an intrasquad instead.
A massive fire on Interestate 85 in Georgia has resulted in the cancellation of a dual meet between the University of Georgia and Division III Emory. Georgia will host an intrasquad instead.
The meet is Georgia’s Senior Day and will include recognition for 17 members of Georgia’s senior class.
Saturday’s meet was to be the 51st all-time meeting between the men’s programs at Division III powerhouse Emory and the University of Georgia. Georgia has an all-time 41-9 record in those matchups. For the women, this is the 27th meeting, with Georgia having never lost. Emory are the 10-time defending NCAA Division III National Champions.
The two schools are separated by less than 70 miles. The most direct route between the two schools includes the first 15 miles spent on I-85, though there are several other possible routes.
I-85 was shut down in both directions on Saturday in Gwinnett County after a multiple-vehicle crash involving a tractor trailer that left one dead at about 8AM on Saturday morning. The Emory team bus was very near the fire and the team was among the people who were evacuated from nearby vehicles as a precaution.
The parent of an Emory swimmer posted the following photo of the team standing on the freeway this morning.
https://twitter.com/JeffFurbee/status/1223604051574738944
This is the last-scheduled regular season meet for both schools.
https://twitter.com/LaurenPozenWSB/status/1223597406715097091
ACTIVE INCIDENT: Firefighters are on scene of a multi-vehicle accident involving a tractor-trailer fire on I85 NB at Jimmy Carter Blvd. I85 is closed in both directions along with Crescent Drive and Dawson Blvd. @GwinnettPd pic.twitter.com/46qB6l1qaQ
— Gwinnett County Fire and Emergency Services (@GwinnettFire) February 1, 2020
Could the bus not have taken a detour?
Chantz – given that the bus was close enough to the fire to be evacuated, it seems probable that the bus was already in the “too late to detour” zone. A photo that was posted by one of the parents (but has since been deleted) on Twitter showed the team very close to the fire.
Back in the days when pole vault poles were made of a magnesium composite, our men’s college track team had their bus catch fire on the way to a meet. Fortunately, everyone got evacuated quickly because when those pole vault poled burned, it was apparently pretty spectacular.
I would take this as a good luck charm for emory swimming. They’re about to set the georgia pool on fire with a remarkable upset!
I would take this as a time to show compassion for the victims and their families. Probably one or more “Georgia Dad’s” lost their lives.
Jeff mf Furb
you could misinterpret that picture quite easily lol
Oh well it’s changed now, nvm