NBA fans were forced to evacuate a California arena Saturday night after a fire alarm went off during a matchup between the Golden State Warriors and Detroit Pistons — and a disturbing message was flashed on the arena’s jumbotron, according to reports.
The basketball game was briefly interrupted at the conclusion of the first quarter when deafening sirens started blaring inside Chase Center in San Francisco and an announcement appeared on the big screen urging fans to exit the stadium, CBS Sports reported.
“Attention: There has been a fire alarm reported in the building,” the warning message read, according to footage shared on X just after 9 p.m.
“Proceed to the nearest exit and leave the building. Do not use elevators.”
A message from the public address announcer inside the arena also alerted fans that a fire alarm had been reported in the building, the footage shows.
About 20 percent of fans complied and headed toward the exits, Bay Area reporter Cam Inman wrote on X shortly after the alarm was set off.
After a few minutes, the sports fanatics were advised it was a false alarm and could return to their seats as the basketball game continued to the sound of cheers, CBS Sports reported.
A PA message to spectators said: “Attention fans, we have just gotten the all-clear signal. You may return to your seats.”
The game, however, was eerily more quiet as the sound system malfunctioned following the false alarm, the outlet reported.
“The sound system seems to not be working at Chase Center since the fire alarm,” KNBR posted on X around 9:28 p.m.
“Just pure basketball sounds and fan reactions right now, nothing else.”
