Multiple fires targeting SF neighborhood's playgrounds has residents on edge

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- Back-to-back fires at playgrounds in San Francisco's Outer Richmond neighborhood has the community on edge.

"This is targeted towards the kids, like who wants to target kids? It is crazy," said Ghia Jacobs, a San Francisco parent and member to of the Lafayette Elementary School PTA.

Jacobs youngest son Samuel is a student at Lafayette Elementary School. On May 1 around 1:30 a.m., firefighters responded to an outdoor storage container that was on fire at the school's yard. At first, the parents thought that would be the end of it.

"The first fire happened, and we thought it was just sort of a fluke maybe someone was trying to get shelter in the container," said Jacobs.

Then nine days after the first, fire a second one was reported two blocks away at Lincoln Park playground.

The May 10 fire at the park happened around 11 p.m. The fire burned a hole through a slide.

"They got to take this seriously and when you see a trend, you got to figure out what it is," said John DeVierno, a parent who was at the park with his kids.

Eight days later on May 18, a third fire happened back at Lafayette Elementary. The entire playground was burnt. Samuel Jacobs remembers seeing a video of the blaze and thinking, "It was really big, so I was getting kind of worried, and I was like what are they going to do next to our school? I don't know."

On Wednesday, May 21 around 11 p.m., multiple people called 911 callers reporting a fire at Lincoln Park Playground. A total of four fires in less than a month in the same area.

"It is abnormal and suspicious this is not a spontaneous combustion," said Samuel Menchaca, SFFD public information officer. "We are looking into these fires more than our average fire that we run on a daily basis."

In a statement, the city's Recreation & Parks department said in part:

"The idea that someone may have deliberately targeted a space meant for kids is extremely disturbing."

The city's fire department said they are working with SFPD to determine if these fires were set by an arsonist.

"When we have two (fires) close in a district at similar locations, i.e. a playgrounds - that makes up more vigilant into investigating these incidents," said Menchaca.

In the meantime, Ghia Jacobs is counting down the days for her son's school year to end, hoping nothing else happens while covering and decorating the burnt playground with other parents.

"Just to sort of beautify it just so kids didn't have to stare at their burned down playground while they are in school all day," said Jacobs.

Samuel Jacobs says the decorations have helped.

"It is starting to make us clam down and not worry so much about the fire at our school," said Samuel Jacobs.

Ultimately, what parents like Ghia Jacobs want are answers since no arrests have been made yet.

"I really hope that they can sort of find out who is doing this and get everything replaced as soon as possible," said Ghia Jacobs.

Over email SFPD said, "No updates in these investigations at this time."

San Francisco Recreation & Park's full statement:

"We are heartbroken by the fire that destroyed the play equipment at Lincoln Park playground. This is a beloved gathering place for children and families and a source of joy and connection in the neighborhood. The idea that someone may have deliberately targeted a space meant for kids is extremely disturbing. We are grateful to the San Francisco Fire Department for their swift response, and we're thankful that no one was hurt."

SFUSD's full statement:

"The San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) is working with local authorities to investigate two recent fires outside Lafayette Elementary School. The first fire was reported at approximately 1:30 am on May 1 and damaged an outdoor storage shed. The second fire was reported at approximately 10:30 pm May 18 and damaged the play structure. We are very glad that in both cases, no one was injured and the main school building was not damaged.

We understand that two incidents in a short time is concerning, and we are working closely with the Fire Department to investigate both cases. The cause remains under investigation and we are taking the situation very seriously. Until the investigation is complete, we are not making assumptions about the causes of the fires.

The safety of our students and staff remains our top priority. Emergency procedures have been reviewed and reinforced, and all affected areas have been secured. School operations continue as normal, and students are learning in a safe and supportive environment. We have arranged supervised alternatives for outdoor play. In addition, we are working with our Wellness teams to provide additional support to students in school."