KETTERING — Investigators are still working to find out how the playground at a local park went up in flames.
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The fire happened Saturday at State Farm Park in Kettering and it completely destroyed the playground, leaving community members shocked.
“State Farm’s my backyard and, unfortunately, it got caught on fire, the park,” Daniel Puslat said. “And it’s devastating.”
Puslat shared that he immediately thought about the children who play there.
“Kids play back there all the time and, you know, now they have nowhere to play,” he said. “Baseball is getting ready to start and who knows how long it’s gonna take to rebuild again.”
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Roberto Alvarez, an iWitness 7 viewer, sent us a video he took from their home. It showed the flames shooting up from the playground. As he got closer, you could see the fire raging.
The city of Kettering said crews arrived shortly after 12:30 on Saturday morning.
The fire destroyed the playground equipment and rubber mat. It also burned a nearby tree.
A city spokesperson said they can’t determine if this was arson or not until the investigation is complete.
There currently isn’t a timeline for when the equipment will be replaced or how much it will cost.
Puslat said he hopes this doesn’t take long to fix, but more importantly, he hopes they put surveillance cameras up at the park.
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