Massive early-morning fire incinerates beloved Port Angeles playground

PORT ANGELES, Wash. — A beloved playground in Port Angeles was on fire early Wednesday morning and a young male was taken into custody on suspicion of arson, according to the Port Angeles Police Department.

At about 3:44 a.m. Wednesday morning, officers and firefighters responded to a fire at the Dream Playground at Erickson Park on Race Street in Port Angeles.

When they arrived, the playground was fully engulfed, with flames nearing 60 feet high.

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Dream Playground Courtesy: The Woven Wilds

A juvenile male was spotted running from the area. He was later taken into custody at his home, under investigation for arson.

According to a website dedicated to the Dream Playground, the playground was built in Sept. 2022 in just five days by more than 2,000 volunteers, with over $185,000 raised to pay for the construction.

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Dream Playground Courtesy: Jay Cline

In a statement sent to KIRO 7, the Foundation behind the Dream Playground said:

Bad things happen sometimes. Thousands of donations and hundreds of hands built a playground that is loved and used so heavily by our kids and community, and this morning we awoke to find much of it destroyed by fire. We are all just in grief and shock, because it is more than a playground; it’s a statement about who we are as a community, and about where our priorities lie.

It feels like we’ve lost a loved one. But unlike that kind of unrecoverable loss, structures can live again. We are lucky to have a town full of giving and caring neighbors who know how to build and make good things happen. Our playground will be back and better than ever. We are already preparing ways to work closely with local organizations and city officials to develop a coordinated plan for the recovery and rebuilding of the Dream Playground

We realize that everyone is wondering what they can do and how they can help. There are a number of details that need to become clear, and as soon as they do we will communicate with everyone about next steps. In the meantime, we have created a general fund where anyone can give to help in our efforts to rebuild. You can give to this fund by clicking “Give Now”.

Let’s stand together as a community. Your support and solidarity are invaluable during these challenging times. Reach out to one another, offer a helping hand, and let’s ensure that the spirit of our community remains unbroken.

As we navigate the path ahead, we will keep you informed of our progress and ways in which you can contribute to the collective effort. Together, we can turn this adversity into an opportunity to showcase the resilience and strength that define Port Angeles. Let this be yet another lesson we can give to our children. We can have wonderful stuff. But more importantly, we can teach them how loss can be handled with grace, strength, friends, and grit. Let’s get on with it.

-The Dream Playground Foundation

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