By Amanda Bacon and Pepper Fisher
PORT ANGELES – The Dream Playground, located at Erickson Park on Race Street in Port Angeles, has burned to the ground.
Sergeant Clay Rife from the Port Angele Police Dept. told KONP that the first call reporting the blaze came in about 3:45 this morning, stating the Dream Playground was on fire. When officers arrived, they found the playground fully involved, with flames estimated at 60 feet high.
A juvenile male was seen running from the scene and was later contacted at his residence and taken into custody. He is under investigation for the crime of arson.
Director of Parks and Recreation Corey Delikat was on the scene and described what he could as of 10:30am.
“Well, right now we have the park closed. And it’s really foggy this morning, so it’s really hard to get an assessment until police and fire allow us to come in to the facility. Our main goal today is, letting them do their investigations and then, hopefully, we’ll have time to fence it off so that we make the site safe.”
Sgt. Rife described the scene earlier as an active crime scene, and Race Street between 3rd and 5th was closed for a time.
Delikat said that while he was not allowed to enter the playground, he had a pretty good idea of the damage.
“I would say a few of the main structures as that were metal might be okay. I think the Tot Lot on the one side might be okay. But it’s a major loss. I would probably say 75% of the playground is gone. It’s a sad day for Port Angeles. It really is. And, sad for the Dream Playground Foundation and, most importantly, sad for the kids of the community.”
The Port Angeles Dream Playground was originally built over five days in September of 2002 by more than two thousand volunteers with tools and equipment loaned by the community.
The current, award-winning version, known as Generation II Dream Playground, was built in the summer of 2021, when volunteers replaced the aging wooden structures and wood chip ground covering with one of the safest, best designed, and most inclusive playgrounds in the state.
In a statement released just before noon, Mayor Kate Dexter wrote, “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. I want to thank PA Fire and Clallam Fire District #2 for their response. Thank you also to our Parks & Recreation staff for their thoughtful stewardship of all our parks. They, especially, know how much this park means to our community. I look forward to working with City staff to rebuild as soon as we can.”
This is a developing story and we will keep you updated with information as we receive it.
Photo by Mark Hodgson