Playground fire
By The Emporia Gazette (Contact)
Originally published 01:15 p.m., May 22, 2008
Updated 01:15 p.m., May 22, 2008
Fire crews were called to put out a fire in the green rubber substrate on the new Peter Pan Playground this morning.
Emporia Fire Chief Jack Taylor said this morning that a circle about a foot in diameter was on fire early this morning. The call came in at 6:08 a.m.
“It looks like somebody may have tossed a cigarette,” Taylor said. “It was fairly minor. It turned out to be not nearly as bad as we thought when we got the call.”
Taylor said the fire has sparked the fire department’s interest in the rubbery ground cover. The department is going to collect a sample and try to burn it.
madpoet (anonymous) says...
Wow, I'd think anything approved for playground use would be fairly fire resistant. I was recently at a new playground in Winfield and it was filled with shredded tires. I think it takes a pretty hot spark to set it on fire but it might not. Scary.
May 22, 2008 at 3 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
juicer (anonymous) says...
Maybe some parent who is watching their kids play should refrain from smoking and throwing their butts on the playground! If the fire was not accidental, Its too bad that people can"t keep themselves from destroying city property.
May 22, 2008 at 4:29 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
rdgrey (anonymous) says...
Someone watching their kids pay befor 6am and leaves a cig butt? Is that all it takes to start a shreaded tire on fire? NOT!! If that was the case thewre would be an outbreak for tires on cars suddenly catch on fire during the summer. No way does a cig butt reach the temps needed to catch this substance on fire.
May 22, 2008 at 6:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
stevenlk (anonymous) says...
i walk my dog at that park alot and see my nieces and nephews out there and i get pretty upset when i see some parents/adults smoking ON the play ground area. they should have a no smoking sign there. its pretty rude. my cousin said to this dude that its no smoking area and all he said was OH and kept smoking. my other cousin that does smoke did have the manners to go sit on the cement bench out of the green area to smoke. i think there should be a no smoking sign all around it.
May 22, 2008 at 7:39 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
emporian (anonymous) says...
It is entirely possible that a discarded cigarette could have started the fire. With the higher humidity it is doubtful but it could happen.
Shredded tires have a flash point in excess of 580 F (322oC), meaning that tires are flammable if exposed to a continuous source of ignition capable of
generating such temperatures. Although a lighter or cigarette can ignite a localized tire
surface, continuing combustion generally requires another fuel source to provide sustained
high temperature exposure [Gray, 1997].
May 22, 2008 at 8:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
emporian (anonymous) says...
KS,
the surface to mass ratio is different with shredded tires as opposed to a regualr tire. Think of it like this. What is easier to get to burn: a 4x4 or a small pile of sawdust. Same thing applies here with shredded tires vs a regular tire, but what would I know, I just have a degree in fire science...
May 22, 2008 at 10:22 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
emporiahelper (anonymous) says...
wow emporian, fire science i mean come on thats real cool Kstrebuchetl is right there is no way a cig started that. Mr science guy i think you should go out there and try to ignite it, plus its not the same thing with the sawdust because were talkng about tire as in rubber and not wood. Sometimes people with these high tech little degrees aren't as clever and smart as they think so cal it down.
May 22, 2008 at 10:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
emporian (anonymous) says...
I am not saying someone didn't start it intentionally. I told you that equipment would be torn up within 6 months when they were looking for volunteers and money. All I am saying is you cant discount the idea. Studies have shown it will burn via cigarette. The ratio works regardless of the fuel whether it be wood, rubber or paper. And people wonder why fireman are looking to get out of this town.
May 22, 2008 at 11:06 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
The story doesn't indicate, but I wonder if the fire department shouldn't obtain a bit of the material in that circle of burned area in order to test it for the presence of any sort of flammable material -- you know, like lighter fluid or something like that. It strikes me that school's out. Yeah, I know, I'll catch heat for saying that--no pun intended.
May 23, 2008 at 6:51 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
slipandslide (anonymous) says...
http://www.leathersassociates.com/abo...
heres a link for the company that designed the playground, if anyone is interested, they can find out if the substrate is coated with a fire retardant.
May 23, 2008 at 9:24 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
USNretired (anonymous) says...
What can be done to help fire-proof the playground ( or try to anyway) that is also kid-friendly and safe? A sprinkler system? Police patrols just driving by and looking out for fire and/or suspicious activity? Surface area count a lot in oxidation, be it any kind of particle or dust. Ever hear of a silo blowing up?
May 23, 2008 at 12:14 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
disgruntledcitizen (anonymous) says...
I also am not sure if this was accidental or on purpose, but it definetely could have started by a cigarette butt!!! The butt could have been tossed at anytime during the night or day before, so it really doesn't matter that the call came in at 6 a.m. There is alot more material in that flooring than just shredded tires. There could be chips of wood or sawdust from the building process recently, lots of small dust particles, leaves form the many surrounding trees. Also it says that the fire was just smoldering in a small area that gave off smoke, NOT a big fire burning out of control. It would not take much for a shredded truck tire to SMOLDER, if it had dust or leaves or anything else around it. You people need to be a little more open minded about fire. Its not like we are saying that you can put a cigarette butt on a tire and start a fire, but if you shred that tire up, add some oxygen in the right amount, through in some dust particle, saw dust, or leaves and throw in a cigarette butt, it wouldn't take much for it to start smoldering and get very hot. I do think that smoking should be banned there, as this is a public park in which small children are at, even if it is outside. You can save the smoking for the hour or 2 tops that you are going to be there. Just my Opinion.
May 23, 2008 at 12:50 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Doug (anonymous) says...
I think an ant spontaneously combusted and started the fire. We should ban ants in Emporia parks! It could happen. JMO
May 23, 2008 at 11:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mylife (anonymous) says...
Wow...now that is funny!
May 24, 2008 at 8:19 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )