BELLEVUE, Wash. — A playground at a Bellevue elementary school burned down over the weekend for the second time in a year.
The Bellevue Fire Department responded to Phantom Lake Elementary School early Sunday morning after multiple people reported a fire.
When crews arrived, the play structure was fully engulfed in flames. Crews got the fire under control in just under six minutes and remained on scene to put out hot spots, according to Bellevue Fire Department spokesperson Heather Wong.
The fire department suspects the fire was intentionally set, although a cause has not officially been determined.
There were no reported injuries, Wong said.
This is the second time the play structure has burned down in the last 12 months. On July 9, 2023, the Bellevue Police Department responded to a fireworks call at Phantom Lake Elementary School. The play structure also burned in that fire.
It’s also the second fire on school property in less than a week. On July 4, Bellevue fire crews responded to two brush fires at Tillicum Middle School, which is next to Phantom Lake Elementary School. The fire department said the fire was suspected to have been started by fireworks.
Fireworks are illegal in the city of Bellevue.
Bellevue School District spokesperson Janine Thorn said the district is cooperating with the fire department on the investigation of the fire. The district urged people to report any unusual activity on school property while classes are out for the summer, particularly late at night, early in the morning or on holidays.
It will likely cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to replace the play structure, and it likely won't be replaced before the school year begins. It cost $450,000 to replace the play structure last year.