A cherished playground in Potomac, Maryland, is normally a spot where smiling children climb its rope ladders and cheer as they glide down its many slides. But on Tuesday night, arsonists brought an end to the fun.
“Who burns down a kid’s playground? Like why would someone do that? It just doesn’t make any sense to me,” said resident Gillian Bussey, of Darnestown.
Bussey made the comments while looking over the charred remains of the playground at Greenbriar Local Park, which was one of her 7-year-old son George’s favorite spots to play.
“I’m sorry for the playground and all the children,” George said in a somber tone.
Maryland National Capital Park Police said at around 9:55 p.m. on Tuesday, the call came in about a fire at the park. Firefighters were able to put it out and quickly determined what happened wasn’t an accident.
“We just can’t believe someone would come into a community, to a park like this that’s designed to allow people to come and enjoy themselves, to enjoy the amenities, and just take it upon themselves to destroy it so viciously as they have done to this play equipment,” said Lt. Charles Smith with Maryland National Capital Park Police.
Smith said they are working with fire investigators to work to bring those responsible to justice. He said the responsible suspects could face felony charges, which could also come with time behind bars.
“We hope with the community’s help, that we can solve this issue,” Smith said.
Ali Darroodi, of Potomac, told WTOP his grandson has been asking him why someone would do something like this. He said he simply doesn’t have an answer.
“In this country, people don’t recognize how good it is,” Darroodi said, mentioning that he is an immigrant. “So, they have to do something drastic to make [themselves] feel better.”
For Matt Solomon, a North Potomac father of a 4-year-old, said this event is damaging to the community.
“When you see a symbol of the neighborhood affected in this way, in a way that feels very out of step with how we feel about the community here,” Solomon said. “It’s jarring. Really jarring.”
Carrie, a Potomac resident, said the playground was a popular attraction in the community and losing it is “devastating.”
To those responsible, her young daughter Kelsey didn’t mince words with her message to them: “I hate you!”
Officials said the fire caused $1 million in damage to the playground.
Anyone with information on what happened should contact the Montgomery County Fire Department, Fire and Explosives Investigations Office at 240-777-2269 or by email at larry.seipp@montgomerycountymd.gov.
WTOP’s Steve Dresner contributed to this report.
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