About nine hours before an arsonist ignited a fire that heavily damaged a playground at FDR Park in South Philadelphia on Sunday, a playground at a North Philadelphia elementary school was set ablaze, damaging its rubber foundation, officials said Wednesday.
Executive Fire Chief Richard Davison said the fire, at the playground of M. Hall Stanton Elementary School at 16th and Cumberland Streets, was set. "It was incendiary," Davison said.
Deirdre Darragh, a spokeswoman for the Philadelphia School District, said the fire started about noon. She said the fire, which generated thick black smoke, caused about $5,000 worth of damage, mostly to the thick matting under the playground equipment, including a sliding board, jungle gym, and climbing wall.
