‘It’s devastating’

Playground equipment in Springhill, which was made possible by the fundraising e orts of a neighbourhood group and other residents, was destroyed by re over the weekend.

It’s not what Bev Sharpe wanted, or expected, to see when she looked out the back window of her Mechanic Street home in Springhill late Friday night.

The playground equipment that the neighbourhood and other Springhill residents had raised thousands for nearly 10 years ago was going up in ames.

“When I looked out all I could see was ames and I wondered what was burning,” said Sharpe, who was alerted to the blaze by telephone. “ e ames were burning high into the air and the re department was spraying foam on it.”

Sharpe said a neighbourhood group began raising money for the play structure a decade ago. She said there were no playgrounds for children in her section of Springhill and she was terri ed a child would eventually get struck playing on the street.

“ is is something we did for the kids, to give them a place to play

and get them o the street. When you used to drive up Mechanic Street there used to be all kinds of kids playing on the street,” she said. “Now it’s gone and it’s devastating. I never would have believed that someone would do something like that.”

Kendall Spence of the Springhill Fire Department said the call came into the department just before midnight and re ghters were on the scene for about 45 minutes. He said the re is under investigation and didn’t want to comment on how it started.

It’s not the rst time the play structure has been vandalized. Several years ago, the rubber surface was cut.

Sharpe is hoping insurance money will cover the cost of repairing the damage.

The incident is being investigated by the Cumberland RCMP, which is asking the public for assistance located suspects who allegedly lit the re.

“ is playground was built by the community, for the community,” Const. Travise Dow said Sunday. “Such actions have an impact on the children who use it and the adults who worked hard to build it.”

If anyone has information they can call the Springhill detachment at 902-597-3779.

DARRELL COLE SALTWIRE NETWORK Charlene Spence and Gayle Snell and a neighbourhood child look over the damage from a re overnight Friday on Mechanic Street. The re caused extensive damage to a play structure on Mechanic Street that the community raised tens of thousands to build a decade ago.

SUBMITTED A play structure on Mechanic Street burns on Friday night. The playground, built by the community approximately a decade ago, was destroyed by the re that occurred around midnight. RCMP are investigating the re.