ARLINGTON — Arlington school district will spend $200,000 replacing wood chips with pea gravel at 35 playgrounds in response to a fire blamed on spontaneous combustion of the wood fiber, the superintendent said.
Surveillance video showed that nobody was around to start the fire at an elementary school playground last week, officials said. The fire melted the plastic and metal equipment, causing $35,000 in damage.
"It was a very unusual occurrence," Superintendent Mac Bernd said Monday.
Deputy Fire Marshal Keith Ebel said the conditions that caused the chips to catch fire were "like a perfect storm."
Heavy rains earlier this summer saturated the wooden material, which began to decompose in the recent summer heat wave. High temperatures Thursday afternoon then ignited the dry chips on the surface.
"Everything had to be just right for this to occur," Ebel said. Full Story - Video - Just Because Baskets
Surveillance video showed that nobody was around to start the fire at an elementary school playground last week, officials said. The fire melted the plastic and metal equipment, causing $35,000 in damage.
"It was a very unusual occurrence," Superintendent Mac Bernd said Monday.
Deputy Fire Marshal Keith Ebel said the conditions that caused the chips to catch fire were "like a perfect storm."
Heavy rains earlier this summer saturated the wooden material, which began to decompose in the recent summer heat wave. High temperatures Thursday afternoon then ignited the dry chips on the surface.
"Everything had to be just right for this to occur," Ebel said. Full Story - Video - Just Because Baskets
