View Comments
New Orleans firefighters walk past the grandstand of the historic Fair Grounds racetrack as it was engulfed in flames Friday night. On Saturday, officials scrambled to figure out how to reopen the track by Jan. 5. In less than an hour, fire had swept from the jockeys' quarters at one end of the giant wood-clad grandstand through the 13,500 seats, the betting parlor and the clubhouse. No injuries were reported, and horses in the 1,950 stables were not in danger. The track employs more than 5,000 people and generated $341 million in 1992.