Omen? Citgo sign burns in small fire

(John Tlumacki/Globe Staff)

By Anne Baker, Globe Correspondent

The flames from the Red Sox' skidding season seem to be spreading. The Citgo sign that looms over Fenway Park caught fire this morning, the plastic partially melting in a small electrical blaze inside the storied sign.

Flames were actually visible from Storrow Drive during the fire, which caused $5,000 in damage, said Steve MacDonald, a spokesperson for the Boston Fire Department.

Firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze, which ignited just before noon. No one was injured. It was not immediately clear how long it would take to fix the sign.

The Red Sox teeter on the edge of elimination after dropping the last three games to trail in the American League Championship Series 3-1. In the last two blowouts at Fenway Park, the Tampa Bay Rays have launched seven towering home runs. None, however, have made it as far as the Citgo sign in Kenmore Square.

The 60-foot by 60-foot icon has stood on top of a building on Beacon Street since 1940. Illuminated from dusk until midnight, it looms just over the Green Monster in left field, a few blocks from the ballpark.

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