Well-loved amenity reduced to rubble

PORT ANGELES — A well-used and much-loved playground funded by the community and built with thousands of hours of volunteer labor and thousands of dollars of donated materials is now a crime scene.

The Generation II Dream Playground at Erickson Playfield, at 302 S. Race St., was reduced to charred remains after an early morning fire Wednesday that is being investigated as an arson.

Sgt. Clay Rife with the Port Angeles Police Department said a juvenile male was taken into custody Wednesday. He declined to identify him or provide his age due to his youth.

The fire at Erickson Playfield at Third and Race streets was fully involved when first responders arrived after a passerby called in a report at about 3:44 a.m., Rife said. The fire was under control by 4 a.m. and extinguished by 4:15 a.m., according to a city press release.

“There were flames possibly as high as the trees,” Rife said. “The park is almost completely destroyed.”

The ferocity of the blaze led to sagging of the composite-material fence surrounding the play area. A nearby overhead light, as well as parts of an adjacent swing set, were melted from the intense heat, and much of the artificial play surface was charred and blackened.

The smell of burned materials permeated the park and the sidewalk along Race Street.

Steve Methner, Dream Playground Foundation president, said Wednesday morning the zipline and a piece of climbing equipment may be salvageable.

Erickson Playfield has been secured as a crime scene, said Port Angeles Police Chief Brian Smith.

The Port Angeles fire and police departments are conducting the investigation, with assistance from Clallam County Fire District 3 and the Washington State Patrol, the press release said.

“Until then, and until after the area has been cleaned and made safe to visit, Erickson Playfield remains closed,” city personnel said in the release. “Your support and cooperation are greatly appreciated during this time.”

Lee Ancin, co-founder and an owner of Play By Design, said the Dream Playground equipment was constructed out of structural plastic, recycled plastic and powder-coated metal. Setting it on fire would almost certainly require an accelerant, he said.

In his 30 years in the business, Ancin said all of the playgrounds he had seen burned down had been intentionally targeted.

“What’s heartbreaking is how this project was created,” Ancin said. “It was an awesome community event and such a powerful group.

“If anyone’s going to rally around a tragedy like this and rebuild something and make it another historic event, that’s the group.”

Numerous members of the Dream Playground Foundation — who oversaw fundraising, planning and construction of the playground — gathered along Race Street outside Erickson as daylight spread across Port Angeles and the extent of the damage became evident.

Dream Playground Foundation board members and community members decorated the fence with flowers and the word Hope.

The Dream Playground, originally built by volunteers and opened in 2002, was rebuilt in 2021 as Generation II Dream Playground.

City officials purchased nearly $118,000 worth of playground equipment for the new and improved playground, which sported a larger central treehouse, wheelchair-accessible swings, climbing features, spinners and a zipline.

The original playground’s construction was one of the largest volunteer efforts in Clallam County history. It included more than 2,000 volunteers using tools and equipment loaned by the community. More $185,000 was raised to pay for the construction, with most of the funds coming from local businesses and thousands of individual contributors.

Led by Methner, volunteers, donors and local corporate sponsors came together again in 2021 to replace the then-aging wooden structure and wood chip ground covering.

Erickson Playfield received the 2023 Spotlight Award for Facilities (population under 100,000) from the Washington Recreation and Parks Association because of its outstanding achievement in outdoor areas that have a recreational use component.

Mayor Kate Dexter said, “Today weighs heavy on the hearts of many in Port Angeles, particularly those who helped to build the Dream Playground and the families whose children love to play there.

“The Dream Playground is not only an amazing community gathering place, it is also a tangible example of all that is good in Port Angeles,” she said.

“I want to thank PA Fire and Clallam Fire District #2 for their response.

“It’s a tragedy,” said Port Angeles City Council member Lindsey Schromen-Wawrin, who crafted handles for the playground’s jungle gym.

“There was extensive community investment in that park. We’ll just have to come together and make a plan,” he said.

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Reporter Brian Gawley can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 55650, or at brian.gawley@peninsuladailynews.com.

Peninsula Daily News staff Reporter Paula Hunt, Photojournalist Keith Thorpe and Executive Editor Leah Leach contributed to this story.