Gillette Stadium evacuated for fire alarm prior to Steelers vs. Patriots

The buildup to the AFC Championship matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots has been peppered with fire alarms.

On Sunday morning, the fire alarms went off in Gillette Stadium.

Everyone has been cleared to return to the stadium.

The fire alarms at the Boston hotel the Pittsburgh Steelers stayed in prior to Sunday’s AFC Championship matchup against the New England Patriots went off around 3 a.m. The Steelers were not evacuated from the hotel, though many were awakened, according to ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio. It was determined to be a false alarm.

Police have arrested Dennis Harrison, a 25-year-old Boston man who allegedly set off the alarm. According to Paolantonio, Harrison has been charged with disorderly conduct, disturbing the peace, and pulling a false fire alarm.

Sources told Paolantonio that Harrison pulled the fire alarm in a stairwell near an exit and then jumped into a getaway car with two other men. He fled the scene, but he was apprehended shortly thereafter.

This week of preparation for the AFC Championship hasn’t been the easiest for Pittsburgh. Several players missed practice this week due to illness, and wide receiver Cobi Hamilton told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler that up to 15 people in the locker room were dealing with a “setback” from the flu bug.

The Patriots have a little experience with this sort of thing. In the week leading up to Super Bowl XLIX, the fire alarms at the Patriots hotel in Phoenix, Arizona, were set off in the middle of the night twice. Each incident was determined to be a false alarm.

The Steelers will face the Patriots in the AFC Championship Game at 6:40 p.m. ET on a little less sleep than they had planned to get.