‘Suspicious’ fire causes $80K in damage to Linden playground

LINDEN — A playground at Wales Park was destroyed by a fire Sunday afternoon and police are investigating the cause, calling it "suspicious."

According to the police the fire was reported just after 4:30 on Sunday afternoon with officers finding "a large fire with heavy black smoke in the playground area."

It only took a few minutes for the fire to be knocked down and brought under control by the fire department, but the damage had been done. The entire playground area at the park was destroyed and police put the cost of the damage at more than $80,000.

Police said there is an active investigation into the cause of the fire. The department is asking anyone with information about the incident to call Det. Phil Marcus at 908-474-8520.

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Contact reporter Adam Hochron at 609-359-5326 or Adam.Hochron@townsquaremedia.com