Arson Damages Playground At Tulsa Elementary School

Tulsa Public Schools says someone set fire to a playground at Eliot Elementary School. The fire did about $70,000 in damage to school equipment at 1443 East 36th Street.

School leaders say someone torched this playground around 11:30 p.m. Monday, August 4, 2014. The grass is charred, slide is burned - and the sight made parents and kids mad.

The place known for fun and fresh air at Eliot Elementary was torched Monday night.

"Now it's like two weeks before school starts, and yeah it's not fair! We don't have our playground," one student said.

Parents aren't pleased either

"We are talking about kids and how important playtime is, and now one of their play sets is destroyed," said mother Kristie Savage.

"It's going to have to be torn down and rebuilt and that's very disappointing."

Campus police are working to figure out how the playground caught fire.

"Our main concern is to make it safe for the children so when they do come back to school they are able to play without a burnt playground - so our goal is to remove it," said Tulsa Public Schools grounds manager Jay Oats.

Replacing it will not be easy nor cheap. This colorful equipment cost an estimated at $70,000 according to the school grounds managers.

"I am going to talk to my kids about it as a learning experience. Peer pressure is something that's out there I am assuming that it's kids," parent Kristie Savage said.

There's no word on potential suspects or even an official cause. Campus officials say this is the handiwork of an arsonist. But Tulsa Fire investigators say the cause is still undetermined.

If it turns out to be intentionally set - some of the eliot kids have already determined an appropriate punishment for whoever is accountable.

"Go to jail! Go to jail! Immediately! Right now! They should be punished because they are destroying kids' happiness," students said.

Classes don't start until August 20th, so the district has time to clean up the site before students return. Administrators say they do have cameras and are reviewing security footage.