The latest local news, weather and high school sports in and around Columbia and Jefferson City

Update: Wednesday, July 27 at 3:00 p.m.:

The Director of Columbia Parks and Recreation told KRCG there are plans to replace the damaged playground equipment.

Mike Hood said the repaired Cosmo Bethel Park playground could be good to go again as early as this fall.

If not by then, “certainly by spring it will be back,” Hood said.

He explained it’s a little early to tell exactly what the new playground equipment will look like, but said it will be very similar if not identical to the piece that was destroyed by fire.

Fire investigators are still trying to determine whether the fire was accidental or intentional. Either way, it doesn’t make a monetary difference for the Parks and Rec Department.

Hood said he’s working with the city’s insurance company and the playground equipment company to get an exact cost and time frame on replacing the damaged piece.

While the investigation continues, Hood said vandalism in Columbia parks isn’t unheard of. However, if intentionally, this incident certainly would rank in the more extreme end of damage.

“It’s certainly disheartening that someone would intentionally destroy equipment meant for everyone to enjoy,” Hood commented on the thought of arson at the playground.

For now, an orange fence circles the destroyed playground piece so children can’t play on it.

The fire was so hot it charred the metal and melted the plastic slides.

Original Story:

A playground in Columbia has been labeled off limits after catching on fire Tuesday.

Fire crews were called to the Cosmo Bethel park in the 4500 block of Bethel street for a small outside fire. They immediately saw a column of black smoke rising from the park.

Upon arriving at the park they found a large piece of playground equipment fully engulfed in flames.

The fire was put out in minutes but the equipment sustained heavy damage.

Mike Griggs, the parks services manager for Columbia Parks and Recreation, says the equipment cost around $45,000 when it was in first installed. He expects the total cost of replacing the equipment to be up to $60,000.

For the time being a fence has been constructed around the burnt structure to keep children away.

The fire is still under investigation. No injuries were reported as a result of the blaze.