UPDATE: 10:45 a.m. Thursday – Three juveniles have been arrested in connection with the fire at the Island Park Playground in Winfield, according to information released at a news conference this morning.
Those arrested were two 17-year-old males and a 15-year-old female. One 17-year-old faces an arson charge, the other two are facing obstruction of legal process charges.
No names were made public because the suspects are underage. Fire investigators said the suspects did show remorse.
The main suspect was reportedly igniting small materials in the playground area when the fire started to get out of control. The teens left without alerting fire authorities.
City manager Warren Porter said it is believed the damage could have been controlled had a call been made when the flames started to get out of hand.
Porter stressed that the incident was in no way related to Thursday’s Cowley Cup football game between Winfield and Arkansas City.
City officials confirmed they would be spreading out the waste from the park and letting it cool before disposing of it.
Information from eye witnesses and tips to police helped crack the case, officials said. If there is a conviction "there will be people eligible for the reward," Porter said.
The city had offered $5,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
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Police investigators were at Winfield High School Wednesday as an investigation into a fire at the Island Park Playground intensified.
"(Police) were out there about the fire," school spokesperson KayLynn Smith said. "I can’t tell you at this point if anyone was arrested."
Jerry DeVore, the city’s police chief, said late Wednesday that a press conference regarding the case was set for 9:30 a.m. Thursday.
City and Winfield police officials continued to describe the fire as suspicious and said no new information about the "ongoing investigation" would be released Wednesday. It was becoming increasingly evident, though, that police were confident the fire was intentionally set and in search of suspects.
City manager Warren Porter declined to comment on the investigation but indicated more information may be forthcoming. He would not say if suspects were already in custody.
"Why don’t you call me tomorrow," he said.
Island Park will remain closed as the city determines how to dispose of the waste left behind when the four-year-old playground burned to the ground. Porter said burning rubber and plastic was still hot enough that it required the park stay shuttered.
"And it’s still a crime scene," he said.
The insurance company also has yet to release the scene for clean up.
Personnel with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment were in Winfield following the fire to consult with city officials about disposing of the playground waste. The city would have to pay extra fees to ensure the melted leftovers are disposed of in a lined landfill.
Less hazardous waste can be disposed of in an unlined construction and demolition landfill at a lower cost.
The city has given some consideration to reigniting the fire and burning off the remaining materials at the site so that there is no need for waste removal. Finding heavy equipment that runs on tracks ? the heat would melt regular tires ? is a challenge to clean up.
KDHE said there were no air-quality issues concerning the smoke from the fire, according to Porter.
Winfield will have a new playground built with $240,000 in insurance proceeds and possibly some donations. Porter said the public response to the fire and numerous calls to the city have reinforced the importance of the play area and its castle centerpiece.
"Bottom line is there will be a new playground," he said. "And we hope it’s a community-built playground. The beauty of the last one was the community’s involvement and that needs to be replicated in a new playground."
ISLE OF LIGHTS
The Winfield Isle of Lights committee will continue to plan on a Nov. 12 set-up date, according to committee spokeswoman Donna Homan.
"We’re just going to work with the city and leave the plans as they are," she said after the committee met Wednesday morning. "We’re going to have to play it by ear and be flexible."
The committee – all volunteers – will have a better idea of the time they’ll have to put up the holiday exhibits once the cause is determined and the site is cleared of rubble.
The bulk of the work setting up the exhibits can be done in one day, Homan said. The committee plans to open Nov. 16. More volunteers than usual may be needed if the committee finds itself running up against the opening date.
"We’ll just do the best we can do," Homan said.
The winter wonderland drew more than 15,000 cars last year and includes hundreds of thousands of lights, Toyland, Zooland, Reindeer Road and Candyland. Admission is free but donations help provide an additional exhibit each year. It is open daily from 6 to 10 p.m.
