Intentional fire destroys playground

KENTWOOD, Mich. (WOOD) - The wooden section of the Pinewood Park playground was destroyed early Thursday by a fire that was intentionally set, authorities said.

By the time firefighters arrived at the Kentwood playground around 1:15 a.m., the wooden section was not able to be saved. The damaged section has already been torn down.

Families showed up throughout the day Thursday, many not knowing their playground was pretty much gone.

Jad Ramadan and his younger brother visit the park regularly. Ramadan said he loved the playground.

"It was like a fairytale land," he told 24 Hour News 8.

A lot of parents and kids are wondering why someone would torch their neighborhood playground.

"I was just really sad, just all the memories," Faith Hommes said. "I couldn't even imagine who would want to do this."

Not only was the park a family favorite in the area, it was built by many of the same people who used it every day.

A few years ago neighbors pitched in to create the play structure.

"Everybody just came down and had a workday scheduled with a big trailer and a lot of the retired guys were down here with their big tools, it was great," Sherri Filson, a neighbor said.

Filson hopes the neighborhood will come together once again and rebuild the playground.

The Kentwood Fire Department told 24 Hour News 8 officials are planning on interviewing people after the holiday to try and figure out who is responsible for the fire.