Miami Dolphins Game Parking Lot Fire Engulfs 11 Cars

Some Miami Dolphins fans who watched their team beat the New England Patriots returned to a shocking loss in the parking lot on Sunday.

A fire consumed 11 cars outside Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, local news outlets reported.

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue told Newsweek that the cause of the fire is still under investigation. However, responding police officers said a tailgater left a barbecue pit under their car and neglected to properly shut it off before heading into the game.

Tailgate parties make up a massive, lucrative industry in the United States. An estimated 50 million people participate in tailgating at professional and intercollegiate sports events, according to AthleticDirectorU. The drinking culture, long hours and large crowd sizes of these parties can carry various risks to attendees—including the possibility of disorderly conduct, assaults, injuries and even riots.

The blaze outside the Dolphins game began shortly after kickoff when most people were already inside. No injuries were reported, according to Fire Rescue.

Some attendees spotted the fire from their stadium seats, where they could see plumes of smoke billowing over the window.

ESPN's NFL Nation reporter Marcel Louis-Jacques captured it from his vantage point, tweeting, "Something is smoking over behind the NorthWest corner of Hard Rock Stadium...not sure if it's a fire but it's gotten thicker over the past five minutes."

Another video in the parking lot showed the fire raging while Miami-Dade Police and Fire Rescue officers responded.

Later on, a clip with over 5 million views captured a line of destroyed cars after the fire had been put out.

"My boy was at Dolphins Pats game and I was told someone left a grill on by a vehicle," said the user's caption. "Unfortunately here is the result."

Car owner Scott Dellorfano told WTVJ that his Mercedes S63 was lost to the flames, along with $3,000 in cash inside.

"They said a grill caught on fire, it set off another car that blew up and it took our 5 or 6 cars," said Dellorfano. "That's what the police told me. I got insurance, you call stadium legal people, and then go from there."

Dolphins fans had at least one reason to celebrate after their team secured a 20-7 victory against the Patriots.

The team has already weathered bad press this year.

In March, former running back Mark Walton was arrested and accused of gunpoint robbery over a Rolex watch.

In February, former Dolphins coach Brian Flores filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against the National Football League and three teams, alleging he was frozen out of top coaching positions because of his race.