Police, fire marshal investigate ‘suspicious fire’ that destroyed Pine Hill playground

Fire destroyed a playground at the Charles Bowen Recreational Complex in Pine Hill Saturday, causing $75,000 in damage to the equipment and adjacent concession stand.

Local fire and police departments responded to a 5:11 a.m. call from a resident reporting the flames. Two Pine Hill police officers secured the scene and 15 firemen from three departments –– Pine Hill, Gloucester Township and Berlin Borough –– fought the blaze for about three hours.

The Pine Hill Police Department and Fire Marshal are investigating the cause of the fire. They said it was possible it was intentionally set.

William Dukes, chief of the Pine Hill Fire Department, said the loss of the playground is devastating for the borough.

“It affected so many people in the community. Everybody has a passion for children, and this is directly affecting the children. It’s a pretty active ballfield,” Dukes said of the adjacent recreation fields, where youth baseball, soccer and football games are held. “While the bigger guys are playing ball, the little guys were using the play equipment.”

A Pine Hill resident called in the fire Saturday morning, reportinga structure fire because they saw smoke saw billowing over the concession stand. Emergency response teams arrived on the scene within minutes to find flames engulfing the playground, not the snack stand. The ball fields next to the playground were spared.

Dukes said the Pine Hill Youth Association runs the snack stand, but the borough owns the property and the playground equipment. The borough has contacted the insurance company and hopes to recover enough funds to restore the playground, Dukes said.

The playground was refurbished a few years ago with new equipment , according to Pine Hill Police Department Lieutenant Christopher Witts.

Dukes said the recreational complex, located on South Club Road, was named for the late Charles Bowen, a fireman who had been active with the Pine Hill Youth Association and lobbied for the creation of a ballfield.

The police department and fire marshal have asked the public to contact them with any information about the fire, which they say is “suspicious.”

Dukes said there were no heating or electrical sources nearby that could have accidentally started the blaze.

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