A fire heavily damaged the playground at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lanier over the weekend, and Gainesville Fire Department officials said the fire was set deliberately.
Gainesville Fire Department Division Chief Keith Smith said in an email statement that firefighters responded to a fire alarm on the property at 1 Positive Place around 6:45 a.m. Saturday, July 25.
"Upon arrival, personnel found the playground on fire and quickly extinguished the fire," Smith said. "The smoke from the playground fire set off the fire alarm inside the building. Crews checked the building and found no problems inside the structure."
After an inspection of the scene, the Fire Marshal's Office determined the cause of the fire to be arson.
"The playground equipment did have significant damage," Smith said.
Lanier Clubs CEO Steve Mickens said when they reviewed security tapes, they saw some teenaged kids riding bikes on the property and apparently stopping for a smoke break.
"It looks as if they put whatever they were smoking out and they tried to leave," said Mickens. "It looks like they didn't quite put their cigarette out so they went and tried to put it back out." Mickens said after the teens left, light activity began to appear on the surveillance footage, eventually forming the fire and setting off fire alarms inside the building, calling Gainesville Fire.
Mickens said because the Club campus is accessible to several other public areas in the neighborhood, it's not uncommon for them to see people on the property via surveillance when they shouldn't be, or find damage once in a while. But the fire was a huge shock, especially because of the cost, Mickens said.
"We're just hoping we can get it repaired through the insurance company and whatever they don't cover, we hope we can reach out the community to get a new one," Mickens said. "It's so old, we're going to have to get a new one."
Mickens said the playground was installed at the club a few years before he joined the organization, however, as he spoke to Chief Development Officer Joyce Wilson, who has been with the clubs since 2002, about the fire she recalled the playground had a hefty price tag in 2000, costing between $85,000 and $100,000.
Anyone who offers information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the case is eligible for a reward of up to $10,000 from Georgia Arson Control. Tips can be shared at the Gainesville Fire Marshal’s office at 770-594-3612 or the Georgia Arson Control hotline at 1-800-282-5804. Mickens said security footage showed about four kids, ages ranging from 15 to 18, on bicycles around the time of the fire. The security tapes have been turned over to Gainesville Fire and Police investigators, according to Mickens.
A donation page has been created for anyone who feels led to donate to replacing the playground. Anyone with questions about donating can contact Joyce Wilson at [email protected] or 770-532-8102 ext. 305.
