Children burned by acid poured on playground slides
Two children were left with burn injuries after acid was poured on slides in a playground in Longmeadow, Massachusetts.
Authorities were initially called to the Bliss Park Playground over the weekend following reports of a suspicious substance on playground equipment, and discovered on arrival that several children had suffered burns after using the slide.
“It’s very concerning. It’s a playground. Kids are there. We play baseball games, there’s a little Mr. Potato Head over there, so it’s kids all around there. It’s scary,” Longmeadow parent Mike Wing told WWLP.
The park was fenced off in the aftermath of the incident, and officials have asked anyone with information to contact the authorities.
According to a statement from the Longmeadow Fire Department: “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 determined to be muriatic acid.”
The fire department also said they believe whoever carried out the attack could have injured themselves in the process.
“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,” they said.
The acid is a “last-resort” cleaning product that can cause damage to the respiratory system as well as buns to the skin and eyes.
A police investigation is underway, with several items of evidence gathered from the scene sent to the crime lab for forensic analysis and fingerprinting.
