It was a sad sight to see Monday morning for students at St. Alphonsus Catholic School in Maple Glen. Their beloved playground was badly damaged due to a devastating fire.
The blaze began Sunday night around 6 p.m. Police say it only took a minute for the flames to engulf the entire playground. School surveillance video shows the progression of the fire and how quickly the rubber mulch and playground equipment burned. Black smoke could be seen for miles. Firefighters arrived at the scene and put the flames out quickly. While the fire did not spread to the nearby woods and no one was hurt, the significant damage had an impact on the children who’ve grown to love the playground.
“The students I’ve talked to are certainly upset about that but a number of them have already started to do some drawings of what they’d like the playground to look like when we rebuild it,” said David Hayden, the principal of St. Alphonsus.
The fairly new playground was built in memory of a beloved kindergarten teacher who passed away after a battle with cancer.
“I told the kids you can’t lose hope. There’s always hope for a brighter tomorrow and when all is said and done, we’ll rebuild the playground, rededicate the playground and then renew the memory for the teacher for whom it was built.”
Police say there was no wiring or electricity on the playground and continue to investigate what could have started the blaze. They are also searching for three teens who they believe could shed some light on how the blaze began.
“We do have at least three eyewitnesses who reported seeing two white females and a white male, 16 to 17 years of age in the area of the playground before the fire,” said Sergeant Dan Wade of the Upper Dublin Police Department.
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If you have any information on the fire, please call the Upper Dublin Police Department.
