Beloved playground set on fire, Fort Worth Arson investigating incident

On Saturday morning well before the sun came up, Dave Krauss was running along the trail through Oakmont Park when he saw flames and flashing lights.

Krauss recorded video as Fort Worth firefighters put out hot spots at the local playground.

“Holy cow,” Krauss can be heard saying. The video is time-stamped at 6:10 a.m., February 8.

According to a spokesperson for the Fort Worth FD, they received a call around 5:45 a.m.

“I've talked to our fire department arson division, and it's inconclusive of what actually started the fire at this point,” District 3 Councilman, Michael D. Crain said. Crain visited the area Tuesday morning after hearing from numerous concerned neighbors.

“We would come, I'm sure, two to three times a week. And the kids just, they asked to come,” Mallory Dougherty said. “So, we would bring lunch here. And then like on the weekends we'd come as a family on Sundays. And the kids just loved it.”

Dougherty once again brought her two girls to the park over the weekend. This time, she said, it was a sad visit.

“They were absolutely in shock. Devastated. There's a turn where you can see the park immediately. And they're so used to just running up to the park, you know, as soon as they turn. And my youngest, who's now eight, she was 18 months when we moved in. She just puts her hand up to her mouth and she just stood there for probably 10 to 15 seconds, just like in disbelief, honestly,” Dougherty said. “We walked up to the caution tape, and they all just kind of took a second. And then we realized, my gosh, the slide is gone. The climbing wall is gone, which I mean, they've gone down the slides hundreds if not thousands of times. So, it was just, it was just like lost memories almost.

Other neighbors tried to get a closer look Tuesday morning however, crews with the Fort Worth Parks and Recreation Department had already removed what was left of the melted playground due to safety concerns.

In a statement, the Director of the Fort Worth Park & Recreation Department, Richard Zavala said, “We understand how important this playground is to the Oakmont community, and we are committed to restoring it. While this process takes time, we are making it a top priority.”

While concerned over the cause of the fire, neighbors are thankful for the prompt response from city leaders.

“I'm glad the city was able to take care of it right away and hopefully they can get it rebuilt,” Bill McKean said. McKean and his wife Martha McKean moved to the neighborhood eight years ago after they retired.

“I was shocked, but I was very grateful that none of the trees or anything else, that no more damage was done. It seems like it was really confined to the plastic equipment,” Martha said. “This is a well-used park and there's a lot of birthday parties here. And like my husband said, a lot of young people come, young families come and bring their kids and their strollers and they swing, and they climb, and the young mothers talk. It's like, it's like something in New York sitting in Central Park with the mothers and the babysitters chatting. So, it's a fun place to be.”

Neighbors said they still feel safe visiting their beloved park.

“I’m hoping it was just, you know, a younger teen or something like that. Just making a very, very poor choice in the moment,” Dougherty said. “I don't feel unsafe, but I'm so glad that they're taking it seriously. And I'm hoping that you know, with all the awareness that we can bring to the issue, that they will, you know, build it back up hopefully before the summer, before it starts to get, you know, warmer out.”

City officials estimate a new park will be finished within the year.

“I don't know that will ever know conclusively how it was started, etc. But from there, then also, we're going through a liability, a damage report. And then it's a little bureaucracy, right? We got to get through that and then understand where the funds would come from to actually replace the equipment,” Crain said. “These are taxpayer dollars. So, I'm not sure what happened here, but I want people to keep that in mind that taxpayers are going to have to pay to put this back. And I'll advocate for that to make sure it happens.”

In an email to NBC 5, a spokesperson for the Parks Department said, ”The unit itself was $45,000 when it was installed 15 years ago. We anticipate being able to replace the unit within the year. The department currently has a council-approved contract for playground equipment, which will be used for this replacement.”

While the investigation is ongoing, Fort Worth FD said an accelerant test would likely be inconclusive due to the playground's material. On Monday, investigators continued searching for video, speaking to neighbors, and searching for any evidence left behind.

Oakmont Park, including its swing set and trails, remains open.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Fort Worth Fire’s Arson Department.