Old Glory caught fire when fireworks got a little too close at the Atlanta Braves opening game. INSIDE EDITION has the details.
And the flag was still there, even after it caught fire at Turner Field in Atlanta.
It happened during the home opener between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets when fireworks were set off. Professional photographer Julie Paulk took the picture.
Paulk said, "It caught fire as I was taking the picture and I was in disbelief. I thought, 'I cannot believe that just happened.' "
Fortunately, the flag was made of flame retardant material, but the pyrotechnics badly damaged Old Glory. Burn holes are clearly visible.
"It was so quick. It just seemed like no one noticed what happened. But when they put it on the big screen, then everyone sees there's a flag with holes in it," said Paulk.
Baseball fans where quick to react on Twitter:
"Shame on them for not protecting our flag," tweeted one fan.
Another wrote: "Come on everyone, it was a mistake!!"
The team released this statement: "We tried pyrotechnics from a new location and one went awry, burning holes in the flag. We replaced the flag immediately following the game and we will no longer use pyrotechnics from that location."
The Braves have had flag issues in the past. Back in 1992 they were red-faced after a Canadian flag was flown upside down during a world series game with the Toronto Blue Jays. Hey, at least they didn't set that one on fire!
