Apparent arson at Brookhaven Park partially damages children's playground, police say

New Castle County police, in tandem with the State Fire Marshal's Office, are investigating an apparent arson that partially damaged a children's playground in the Ogletown-Stanton area Monday evening.

Responders with the Mill Creek Fire Department were called to Brookhaven Park on Green Ridge Road just after 6 p.m. for reports of the blaze. They were able to extinguish the fire, but it caused significant damage to a plastic tube connecting two play structures.

Photos show blackened, charred plastic on the ground under the tube and melted plastic on at least one of the structures.

Both police and fire marshal's office investigators are looking into who set the fire and why. The structure will be roped off indefinitely.

Some county parks getting additional security measures

This week's apparent arson comes on the heels of New Castle County's efforts to deter those with nefarious intentions from entering parks after dusk.

In the last several months, the county has begun installing fences and gates at certain parks. One of those is Glasgow Park, where a 16-year-old girl was shot last year while attending a large, after-hours party.

Other parks that have already gotten or are being targeted for gates include Biden, Carousel, Weiss, Brandywine Springs, West Wilmington Manor, Southern and Iron Hill.

READ: Gates are being installed at several NCCo parks, including one where teen girl was shot

Brookhaven Park, where the fire occurred, is slated to get gates.

Anyone with information about or surveillance video from the incident is asked to contact Thomas Looney with the fire marshal's office at thomas.looney@delaware.gov or (302) 323-5375 or via email. Tipsters can also contact New Castle County Police Detective Andrew Fitzgerald at andrew.fitzgerald@newcastlede.gov or (302) 395-8133.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Apparent arson at Brookhaven Park partially damages children's playground, police say