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"My sister's birthday was tomorrow," she said. She'd planned to celebrate at Island Park playground.
"At least we're going to rebuild," says Rachel Swanson, reassuring herself as much as her son.
But while all promise they're ready to help out again, many say they'd like to see some changes, too.
"Like a motion camera or something," said James Swanson. "Anything to keep honest people honest."
Others wanted harsher penalties for anyone caught starting a fire like this.
"It ain't going to stop them unless they, you know, unless the criminal justice system does something about it," said Blakeley.
A lot of the folks around Winfield are certain the fire was deliberate because they heard investigators found evidence of gasoline at the playground. But fire investigators say the rubber matting used under the playground equipment is also made from petroleum and leaves the same residue as gasoline. So they say it's simply too early to judge.
Fire crews tell Eyewitness News the fire in 2008 burned longer because of rubber chips on the playground. The chips were not used in the rebuild allowing firefighters to have better control on Thursday night's fire. But officials said the composite construction materials of the playground equipment contributed to the rapid spread.
