2 Children Suffer Burns on Playground Slide.Photo:Bliss Park Playground
Bliss Park Playground
Two children — including a 1-year-old — suffered “burn-like injuries” on a playground slide in western Massachusetts over the weekend, according to authorities.
Police and firefighters were dispatched to Bliss Park Playground early Sunday morning after a Massachusetts mother reported “burn-like injuries” on her children after going down the slide,according to a statementfrom the Longmeadow Fire Department.
The initial investigation determined that someone broke into the pump room in the basement of the park pool where the chemicals used to operate the pool are stored, according to authorities.
After allegedly climbing two fences and entering the basement through the ventilation shaft, someone stole muriatic acid, which was then poured on three slides at the park, authorities said.
Muriatic acid, a diluted solution of hydrochloric acid, is a pool cleaner that can cause burns with prolonged exposure.
In a Monday interview withWestern Mass News, the mother of the two children, Ashley Thielen, said she thought the liquid collected at the bottom of the slide was rain water.
“We got there probably 8:15 yesterday morning, so we were the first ones there, I think,” she said. “I let the kids go play. I didn’t notice that there was liquid to collect at the bottom of the slide. I just assumed it was rainwater."
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Thielen added, “The thing that he always does with our water table is he dips his whole face into it, so I’m actually surprised he didn’t do that because the bottom of the slide, where it was, there was a good amount of it collected there.”
“I was surprised he didn’t start splashing in it,” she said.
Bliss Park Playground.
According to the fire department’s statement, the suspect put in a lot of effort to get the acid.
“The pool chemicals had been stored properly in a secured area,” according to the statement. “A great deal of effort was employed to enter this space. We suspect that the perpetrators may have suffered acid burns to their hands or arms and their clothing may have indications of being degraded from contact with the acid.”
The playground area will remain fenced off out of “an abundance of caution” authorities said, while they “have the contractor conduct a deep cleaning of all surfaces of the entire playground.”
Police are asking the public for help in the ongoing investigation. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Longmeadow Police Tip Line at (413) 565-4199.
source: people.com
