UPDATE: Arson fire guts restrooms near Kennewick’s Playground of Dreams
The restrooms at an iconic Kennewick playground are closed after a fire left them seriously damaged.
A witness spotted flames coming from the Playground of Dreams restroom and concessions building in Columbia Park about 4:15 a.m., according to dispatch reports.
Firefighters arrived to find flames had engulfed the restrooms between the playground and the fishing pond. The fire could be seen from the intersection of Yelm Street and Highway 395.
Kennewick Fire Chief Chad Michael said they are still investigating how it started, but they’ve determined it was intentionally set.
Michael explained the building has three structures that share a roof. The ones farthest to the east and the one in the center will need to be torn down and replaced.
The fire is one of several smaller fires the fire department has seen in the Dumpsters and garbage cans in the area, Michael said.
Anyone with information about the fires is asked to call Kennewick police at 509-628-0333.
The playground was initially built with the help of volunteers in 1999, and needed to be rebuilt in 2004 after an arson fire damaged the playground area.
It recently underwent another renovation and opened fully in 2019.
It’s also the third large fire in Columbia Park this year.
A March fire sparked by a transient destroyed a building at the closed campground, and a second blaze started in dry brush along the highway forced an evacuation in July.
This story was originally published November 10, 2021 at 11:11 AM.