An investigation is underway after a $200,000 playground fire in Windsor.
It happened Thursday night shortly after 11 p.m. at ‘Biba Playground’ in Parent Park, at the corner of Parent Avenue and Vimy Avenue.
Windsor Fire, along with Windsor Police, attended the scene, and members of the Arson Unit determined the fire was intentionally set using a petroleum-based accelerant.
According to police, there were no injuries.
The playground includes four pieces of play equipment on rubberized flooring.
It appears three pieces were damaged, and as of Friday morning, the three pieces were taped off with caution tape.
Talia Djarmotsky lives directly behind the park and saw the fire.
“I was going to bed, and in the front of our house there’s a tree, and I started noticing an orange glow, and I thought, ‘Oh crap, our roof is on fire or something.’ Then I went outside, and nothing but I smelled something burning. I started walking back this way and thought our living room was on fire and realized it was actually the park and it was a blaze,” says Djarmotsky.
Djarmotsky says it’s disappointing for the neighbourhood.
“It is because, like, where the hell are the kids going to go now to play?” says Djarmotsky. “Like, I know there’s the park down there and all that, but the kids in this area...”
Ward 4 Councillor Mark McKenzie represents the area and says vandalism in city parks has been a huge problem this year.
“The numbers just keep on climbing for the cost that it is to replace these things, and now we have a playground that’s gone up, and these things go up pretty quick, unfortunately, because of that rubberized ground to make it safe for the kids,” says McKenzie. “That’s a good thing that we have that rubberized ground, but the problem is that the minute those things like on fire, within seconds it just engulfs the entire thing.”
He says it’s disappointing.
“It doesn’t look good, and there’s actually a new condo development right behind there as well,” he says. “The former school was converted into residential, and it’s just so disappointing to see things like this.”
McKenzie feels park vandalism is getting worse.
“It’s just disappointing, and it’s another expense that the city doesn’t expect,” says McKenzie. “Definitely need to start cracking down on this vandalism in our parks because it’s getting out of control.”
Last month, the Ward 4 Councillor said the city has been noticing an increase in park vandalism.
At that time, he talked about park vandalism at Lanspeary Park after the washrooms were vandalized.
Investigators are asking residents and business owners in the immediate area to check their surveillance or dashcam footage between 10 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. for possible evidence for the investigation.