Crime & Safety
Fire Causes $15,000-Plus Damage at Stone Bridge
Fire at Ashburn high school playground is under investigation by the Loudoun Fire Marshal.
Updated at 5:45 p.m.
A fire Wednesday caused an estimated $15,000 to $20,000 damage to a playground at Stone Bridge High School.
Mangled playground equipment sat melted and partially blackened Thursday morning and the smell of burnt plastic remained in the air. The fire appeared to creep very close to the school itself, but according to Loudoun County Public Schools spokesman Wayde Byard, did not do any damage inside the building.
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The cause of the fire has not yet been determined and the fire marshal is investigating, according to Loudoun County Fire, Rescue and Emergency Services spokeswoman Mary Maguire.
Stone Bridge student Kelly Stancik and her mother, Mary, dropped by Thursday afternoon to see the damage. Mary Stancik had seen the smoke the night before.
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"I was out walking my dog with my husband," she said. "We heard sirens and turned around and saw the smoke."
Kelly called the fire and resulting damage "ridiculous." She said some of the equipment appears to have completely burned.
"There was a big dinosaur there," she said, describing a piece of playground equipment for which there was no apparent remaining evidence.
Both Stanciks said there was plenty of speculation, which they declined to share, but few answers as yet.
The playground is used as part of the high school curriculum. Pre-school children come to Stone Bridge and are cared for by the high school students. On warm days, they play outside.
Workers from Belfor Property Restoration began the cleanup Thursday afternoon.
Patch will report additional information as it becomes available. A press release from Loudoun's fire department was expected this afternoon, but has not yet been issued.
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