Authorities Probe Upper Dublin School Playground Fire

UPPER DUBLIN, Pa. (CBS) - Some families with children at St. Catholic Elementary school in Upper Dublin came to stare at what's left of the school's playground that burned late Sunday afternoon.

"It's really sad because the little kids would come back here and play all the time," said Natalie Ierardi, a 7th grade student.

Slides are burned and melted. A rock wall is gone. Only it's metal support poles remain.

Upper Dublin Fire Marshal Tim Schuck said it's being called an unintentional fire at this point but says that could change.
Eyewitness News asked if the fire was suspicious and if investigators could determine if an accelerant was used.

"You can't because the tires turn into a flammable liquid themselves and there's no traces," said Schuck.

He says the school has outdoor surveillance cameras.

"You could see persons but cant identify them," said Schuck. He said they will look at the tapes forensically at the township building.

Caroline Denin said she and her mom, also named Caroline, drove through the playground area before the fire. They came back to tell investigators what they saw that concerned them after they heard about the fire.

"We saw three teens, they looked suspicious. They were collecting dried grass," said Denin.

They say they saw two girls and one boy.

"As we drove away, my mom saw them run into the woods," said Caroline, an 8th grade student at the school.

In September, cwill become a regional school, accepting students from two smaller catholic schools in the area that will be closing.