89 Fires Reported Near Ohio State in Post-Game Revelry

Nearly 90 fires were reported near Ohio State’s campus early in the morning on Jan. 13 after the Buckeyes won the first national title game in college football’s playoffs, the Columbus Fire Department said.

The fires involved trash bins, Dumpsters and couches, and no injuries were reported, according to spokeswoman Battalion Chief Tracy Smith.

Smith says the 89 reports started coming in just before 1 a.m. with the last reported about 4:45 a.m.

Police made a handful of arrests after using tear gas and pepper spray to disperse some Ohio State students and football fans following the Buckeyes’ win.

Officers on foot, on horses and in cruisers patrolled the main drag through campus after the game early Tuesday, when revelers spilled out of bars near the campus, celebrating the university’s 42-20 win over the University of Oregon.

Thousands converged on the Ohio State football stadium, where police turned them away. Most headed back to the bar area, where cruisers lined the street and officers limited pedestrian and vehicular traffic.

Some officers used pepper spray to clear revelers from the street, while canisters of tear gas were also deployed. The crowds began going home within about two hours.

WCMH-TV, showing images of revelers burning a couch, reported Tuesday that police arrested a handful of students who could face both criminal and university charges.

Gunfire in the campus area after the game was reported by police dispatchers, with no reports of injuries, according to the Columbus Dispatch.

No problems were reported in Oregon.