SELMA, Calif. (KMPH) -
A Selma playground goes up in flames. Now local kids won't have a place to have fun, but some say, they're the ones to blame.
It took mere seconds for a spark to turn into a wall of flames - quickly melting this plastic playground at the Salazar Community Center.
Firefighters doused the fire in minutes making sure it didn't spread to the rest of the park.
Investigators believe kids who play there started the fire.
A Selma police officer responded to the fire and spent the day interviewing kids and parents.
"There's a lot of troubled youngsters around here, it was probably caused by one of them," said Jose Alvarez, a local pastor and vice president of the Salazar Community Center.
Witnesses say they saw two or three boys, between the ages of 8 and 10, running away from the fire.
"Kids messing around with matches and stuff. Sometimes kids are lighting fireworks in the restrooms or around the place. But no one ever calls or nothing," said Yvette Avila, who plays at the park.
Firefighters say the material on the ground of the playground is made up of recycled tires, which helped fuel the fire.
"Gives a nice cushion, but it's highly flammable. So once the fire started going, it just took off, put off a whole lot of smoke," said Eric Beasley with the Selma Fire Department.
A sign that survived the fire boasts that more than 12,000 tires were recycled and shredded for the playground.
Apparently no one anticipated it would one day become lighter fluid and help burn it down.
"It's a park, it's supposed to be for kids. But there's just too many punks that ruin it," said a neighbor named Maria.
But community activists say they try to make the center a safe haven for kids in the area, who are exposed to gangs and drugs on a daily basis.
And they fear it's kids who try to do good that will suffer.
"It's kind of the only activity they have out here, so this breaks our heart," said Alvarez.
It's estimated to cost about $75,000 to replace the burnt playground.
The community center itself, the softball fields and the splash park were not damaged in the fire.
