ANSONIA – Authorities are trying to figure out who set a playground on fire in Gatison Park in the dead of night Saturday (Oct. 3).
Police said the fire was set intentionally, but wouldn’t comment on details such as whether an accelerant was used. The fire marshal did not return phone calls.
Anyone with information should call police at 203 735 1885. Click here to submit an anonymous tip online.
The fire was reported at 3:32 a.m. at the park between Third and Fourth streets. A playscape installed just a year ago was destroyed, along with some surrounding matting.
The public in the north end is also asked to see if they have video footage from around the time of the fire.
The playground is named after John W. Gatison, Jr., the city’s first Black Alderman who was elected to the office in 1971.
Two years ago, state legislators earmarked $100,000 for improvements to the park after neighbors advocated for it to receive some upkeep.
The improvements included the playscape.
Mayor Frank Tyszka posted a video to social media reacting to the fire.
“This is a personal attack on the children in the north end and I am very, very upset about it,” Tyszka said.
Javier Varas, Tyszka’s chief of staff, said the city’s insurance company is currently investigating the fire. There was no word on how much of the damage could be covered by insurance as of Oct. 5.
Ansonia Fire Department Chief Jay Fainer, who was at the scene, said firefighters had to hose down much of the playground to put the fire out.
The playscape “was on fire, and the matting around it was on fire as well,” Fainer said. “So it was fully involved, and we stretched a hose line off of one of our engines and we were able to put it out.”
After the fire was put out, firefighters tore apart some of the safety matting to check for hidden flames.
Fainer noted that it would have taken effort to set a blaze at the playground.
“Nothing there really is combustible on its own,” he said.
Reaction
A man who lives nearby, who asked not to be named, said the fire was a shock to the neighborhood.
“It’s terrible. I grew up here, my whole family grew up here,” he said. “And they never had nothing like that, messing with no kids.”
The process of improving the park included a survey and community meetings around the neighborhood, including one hosted by state Rep. Kara Rochelle and former Alderman Dan King.
Rochelle and King both reacted to the fire in interviews Oct. 5.
“Whoever did this, they just brought the whole community together. It just steels our resolve to make sure that the north end has the park and the resources they deserve,” Rochelle said.
“It took so long to get anything done at that park,” King said. “Somebody just had to go and attack it. It’s just a terrible thing.”
State Sen. Jorge Cabrera, who appeared in a video alongside Tyszka, said legislators will work with the city to rebuild the park.
“It is unconscionable that something like this could happen. This is tragic, but you can bet we’re going to work hard together and work hand-in-hand to make sure that we restore this playground,” Cabrera said.
The Valley Indy also left messages for Alders Jacquelyn Daniels and Tyler Kennedy, whose ward includes Gatison Park, requesting comment.