The Baltimore City playground destroyed in a fire will be rebuilt, community members said.
“This was the community’s playground and was used by thousands,” said Marisa Canino, president of The Friends of Our Playground, a community-based board that advocates for residents’ needs and partners with the YMCA of Central Maryland.
“We’re going to figure out how to rebuild it, because it’s too important.”
The 3 1/2-year-old playground, behind the YMCA building on East 33rd Street in Northeast Baltimore at the former site of Memorial Stadium, was engulfed in flames when fire units were dispatched to the scene around 2:20 p.m. Tuesday, said Battalion Chief Kevin Cartwright, City Fire Department spokesman, who added that no injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is being investigated.
The playground was in a somewhat isolated location, with no nearby electrical wiring that could have contributed the blaze, he said.
“It could be one’s impression that it was maliciously set,” he said. “But we just don’t know for sure.”
The playground was comprised of a composite plastic material, causing the thick smoke, Cartwright said.
Even 30 minutes after the fire began, flames still could be seen shooting from the playground equipment.
Baltimore City Councilwoman Mary Pat Clarke, who watched the fire with Canino and others, said community members took pride in the playground they raised money to build and that it was a community symbol.
The playground, which goes by the name “Our Playground at Stadium Place” or simply “the community-built playground,” was constructed in April 2005, costing around $500,000 in materials, Canino said.
The YMCA of Central Maryland owns, manages and maintains the property.
“It’s just a really horrible tragedy,” said Sara Milstein, chief marketing officer with the YMCA of Central Maryland. “It served a really important need in the community.
“We feel confident it’ll be rebuilt, but the process is to be determined.”
