Police Investigating Suspicious Fire at Children’s Playground in Mississauga

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Published November 20, 2018 at 4:06 pm

castleburned

A relatively new–and intricately designed playground–has been partially destroyed by what police are calling a suspicious fire.

Between Sunday night and Monday morning (Nov. 18 or 19), the Malton Adventure Playground–located in the soon-to-be-redeveloped Paul Coffey Park–caught fire.

Photo courtesy of City Councillor Carolyn Parrish’s official Twitter page

“The fire happened overnight on Sunday into Monday, and at this time, evidence at the scene has led investigators believe it was caused by arson,” says Peel Regional Police Cst. Akhil Mooken.

No injuries were reported in connection with the blaze.

Ward 5 Councillor Carolyn Parrish, who was instrumental in the construction of the place-making playground, took to Twitter to thank residents for reporting the blaze.

“Beautiful Castles playground severely damaged by fire. The kids in Malton took such good care of it. Not a touch of vandalism and now this!”

“Huge thank you to passersby who reported the Castles Playground Fire at 2:21 am and to Goreway Fire Station that responded in four minutes,” Parrish wrote on Twitter.

The playground, made possible by funding from Mitsubishi, Longo’s, the City of Mississauga and other donors, is made out of treated wood and features a 40-foot dragon, four towers, slides and more.

Designed to look like High Park by a company called Earthscape, the playground opened to a great deal of fanfare in Sept. 2017.

“It’s a terrible situation,” says Cst. Mooken. “Hopefully we’ll find the person responsible for it.”

Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie also shared her disappointment on Twitter.

“This is very troubling to see. A place where kids play and community comes together has been severely damaged,” Crombie tweeted. “Councillor Parrish worked hard to build this park and we will work just as hard to rebuild it.”

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