Acid poured on playground slides leaves children burned, Massachusetts officials say
Two children were burned after acid was poured onto slides at a playground in Massachusetts, officials said.
At 9:40 a.m. on June 11, fire officials and police were called to the Bliss Park Playground in Longmeadow after getting reports of a “suspicious substance on the playground equipment,” according to a news release by the Longmeadow Fire Department. The material had been poured onto three slides.
While responding to the playground, officials got another report of two children who had burn injuries after leaving the playground, the release said.
During their investigation, firefighters found that the material on the slides was “acidic in nature,” officials said.
“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 said, according to WWLP.
Officials later discovered that the “pump room in the basement of the pool building had been broken into,” officials said. The people or person involved had climbed over two of the fences and entered the room through the ventilation shaft.
The acid, later determined to be muriatic acid, was stolen from the room, where the pool chemicals were stored, officials said.
Muriatic acid should be used as a “last resort” when cleaning as “it’s primarily made of corrosive hydrochloric acid,” according to New England Disposal Technologies.
It can cause burns to the skin and eyes, and vapors from the acid can damage the respiratory system, NEDT said.
Officials haven’t identified any suspects but said they believe “the perpetrators may have suffered acid burns to their hands or arms and their clothing may have indications of being” in “contact with the acid,” the release said.
The park’s playground has since been fenced off and the Town of Longmeadow has hired a contractor to clean the space, officials said.
Fire officials ask the public to call 413-565-4199 if they saw any suspicious activity at the park or if they know someone with new burns on their hands or with burned clothing, according to the release.
Longmeadow is about 95 miles southwest of Boston.