Cause of Mazie B. Hall Park Tot Lot Fire Revealed

A late night fire that destroyed the metal and rubberized tot lot playground at Mazie B. Hall Park in Wayne last month was ruled accidental by the Chester County Fire Marshall.  But how does a metal play set in the middle of an open park area with no obvious source of flame like a grill or lightning accidentally catch fire? The question had gone unanswered until now.

Patch has learned the source of the fire was children who were not acting criminally. A high level police source tells Patch they were kids who acted like children. Investigators determined they never intended to burn down the tot lot, .

According to the source, children had started a small campfire on the rubberized ground cover material near the base of the metal playground set. The kids had thought they had put the fire out completely. Despite their efforts some of the embers continued to smolder below the surface of the soft material under the playground equipment.

It took several hours before the material caught fire, erupting in flames and intense heat that literally melted sections of the tot lot.

The source told Patch that investigators got "great cooperation" from within the community in tracking down what happened. The official ruling of the cause as "accidental" bears that out. 

The tot lot remains fenced off. A timeline for when the charred and melted playground, which was covered by insurance, will be rebuilt has not been finalized. 

Patch will continue to follow the story and we'll let you know when plans for a replacement are finalized.