Still from video by Shaela Waggoner: Three teenage boys allegedly set fire to the Graham County Fairgrounds playground on Friday.
GRAHAM COUNTY – A devastating fire turned a place of pleasure and play into a dump. But while the Graham County Fairgrounds playground may be lost over the summer, it will be better than it used to be.
Volunteer Safford Fire Department took three trucks and their water trucks to the Graham County Fairgrounds on Friday after being dispatched around 4:05 p.m.
Authorities at the scene said three teenage boys (two 13-year-olds and one 14-year-old) who were playing with matches set fire to the playground area and were unable to stop it. The fire consumed shredded rubber tire padding, spewing toxic black smoke as masked firefighters fought to contain the blaze.
After about two hours of labor and putting twenty gallons of foam on top to keep the smoldering mess from rekindling, the battle was won. However, only the skeleton of the playground equipment that was once used often remains, and the loss was great.
“It’s disappointing to see the playground being inadvertently destroyed,” said Safford Fire Chief Clark Bingham. 14 year olds don’t play on that playground, little kids do. Now nobody does.
Officials first saw the smoke while in the area on another errand. Upon investigation, he found three of his teenagers and together they tried to put out the fire, but without success. An ambulance was called to the scene to assess those involved.
The Graham County Board of Supervisors is working to replace the shredded tire padding, which has received many complaints from park users and parents, with a hard, rubberized surface. After securing funding, the board was set to begin the process after the summer. Now we will do the same upgrades, but we will also replace the lost playground equipment. Chairman Danny Smith said the playground will be more ADA compliant with the addition of walkways and fountains, in addition to a solid and safe playground and replaced equipment. not decided.
Graham County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant. Jacob Carpenter told the Hilla Herald that the sheriff’s office is waiting for an estimate of damages from the county before filing charges against her.
