Yakima Rotary Members Issue Letter To Community After Big Fire

The cause of a large fire that destroyed the Rotary Playground at Sunrise Park on the Yakima Greenway Sunday remains under investigation. Fire investigators say the blaze was human caused but if it was an intentional act or an accident they may never know.

THERE'S NO WORD IF IT WILL BE REBUILT BUT IT IS COVERED BY INSURANCE

The fire that caused some $350,000 in damage.  No injuries were reported. Yakima Rotary Club members who built the facility in 2021 are closely watching the investigation hoping for answers. The playground is insured.

ROTARY CLUB MEMBERS ARE WATCHING THE INVESTIGATION ASKING WHAT'S NEXT?

Club members from Yakima Sunrise Rotary, Southwest Rotary and Yakima Rotary recently published a letter to the community on Facebook. The letter says they are " truly saddened and are sending warm thoughts to Kellie Connaughton and the Greenway team. The latest news report shares the north side of the playground and the fence surrounding it has been destroyed. The cause of the fire is currently being investigated."

ROTARY CLUB MEMBERS SAY THEY REMAIN COMMITTED TO THE YAKIMA GREENWAY

The letter says obviously many club members are disappointed "and want to know more facts and may be asking ourselves, "what is next?" At this point, we don't have a lot of information. As updates become available, we will continue to share with our members. No matter what, we as Rotarians remain committed to our community and will continue to support the Greenway, and we strongly encourage our members to come together when it is time to take action."

SO WHO DO YOU THINK STARTED THE FIRE?

All possibilities on how the fire started are being considered by investigators.
Firefighters and Yakima Police say many homeless people live along the Greenway and start small warming fires and many times those fires lead to larger blazes and sometimes damage facilities and scorch Greenway property. Yakima Firefighters battle the small warming fires every winter. They responded to more than 25 such fires over the past Winter.