Longmeadow Fire Dept. / Press Release:
LONGMEADOW, MA – At 9:40 am, June 11, 2023, Longmeadow Fire and Police were dispatched to Bliss Park Playground for a suspicious substance on the playground equipment. At the same time Longmeadow Fire / EMS was dispatched to a residential address for a report of two children with burn like injuries after leaving the park. Longmeadow Firefighters determined the material to be acidic in nature. The material had been poured on three of the slides on the playground.
Additional resources were requested to include the Massachusetts Department of Fire Service Hazardous Material Response Team, Mass State Police Crime Lab Team, District Attorney’s office and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MADEP).
During the initial investigation it was determined that the pump room in the basement of the pool building had been broken into. Two fences had been climbed and a cover to a ventilation shaft was torn off. The perpetrators entered the room through the ventilation shaft. In this room is where the chemicals used to operate the pool are stored. The Haz-Mat team determined that one of these chemicals was poured on the slides. This chemical was determine to be muriatic acid. The Mass State Police crime lab gathered several items of evidence. Additional evidence was gathered and has been sent to the crime lab for forensic analysis and finger printing.
The pool chemicals had been stored properly in a secured area. A great deal of effort was employed to enter this space. We suspect that the perpetrators may have suffered acid burns to their hands or arms and their clothing may have indications of being degraded from contact with the acid.
The Town of Longmeadow, in conjunction with MADEP, has retained a specialty contractor to clean the play space and other materials. At the conclusion of the cleaning a determination will be made as to the status of the playground. The playground area will remain fenced off out of an abundance of caution until we determine the next step. As of now all hazardous materials have been cleaned up and removed. The rest of the park is open.
We are asking the public for their help in this matter. If you noticed any suspicious activity Saturday night in or around the park please call Longmeadow Police. If you know of someone with new burns to their hands or arms or may have had burned clothing, please also notify Longmeadow Police. This is an ongoing investigation by multiple agencies. You can also use the Longmeadow police Tip Line at 413-565-4199.
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