CNN
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It was supposed to be a safe haven. A refuge for first responders and cleanup crews tired after long days of rescuing storm victims or clearing debris from Hurricane Milton.

But Milton showed no mercy in his deadly rampage through Florida, destroying the roof of Tropicana Field – a major league baseball stadium that served as a makeshift shelter for storm personnel. Milton spawned a spate of tornadoes, making landfall Wednesday as a Category 3 hurricane and killing at least four people, officials said.

Aerial photos of the disfigured stadium showed rows of empty cots surrounding the ballpark where the Tampa Bay Rays play.

“This is one of the most surreal things ever,” storm chaser Jonathan Petramala told CNN after arriving at the stadium in downtown St. Petersburg.

“I could actually get my hands on a piece of this roof, kind of feel the material and it just felt (like) thick vinyl,” Petramala said. “And you could see that it just didn’t stand a chance against the winds of Hurricane Milton.”

Earlier this week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tropicana Field would be used as a base camp for 10,000 people for debris removal operations and first responders.

No injuries were reported after the roof was destroyed and officials urged residents to avoid downtown St. Petersburg, a city spokesman said.

CNN has reached out to the Rays, who are currently in the offseason, and the MLB for comment.

CNN’s Kathleen Magramo, Colin Jeffery and Jacob Lev contributed to this report.