Two children suffered “burn-like injuries” after acid was poured on three slides at a Massachusetts playground, authorities said.
Fire and police departments in Longmeadow, just south of Springfield, are searching for suspects after authorities responded to a call Sunday at 9:40 a.m. local time for a suspicious substance found on the slides at Bliss Park Playground, the Longmeadow Fire Department said in a news release Monday.
At the same time, Longmeadow EMS crews responded to a report of two children suffering burn-like injuries after leaving the park. Firefighters determined the material on the slides was “acidic in nature.”
The hazmat team determined that the chemical poured on the slides was muriatic acid, the fire department said.
“The (Massachusetts) State Police crime lab gathered several items of evidence,” the fire department said in the news release. “Additional evidence was gathered and has been sent to the crime lab for forensic analysis and fingerprinting.”
Multiple agencies including the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection assisted in the investigation.
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Perpetrators broke into a room through ventilation shaft to get the chemicals, authorities say
The fire department said the perpetrators climbed two fences and used a ventilation shaft to break into a room in the basement of a pool building, where the chemicals were stored to operate the pool.
“The pool chemicals had been stored properly in a secured area,” the fire department said.
Fire department officials said they suspect the perpetrators may have suffered acid burns to their hands or arms and their clothing may have “indications of being degraded from contact with the acid.”
Longmeadow officials hired a contractor to clean the playground and the status of the playground will be determined after it’s cleaned, the fire department said.
The playground area is fenced off, but the rest of the park is open, the fire department said.
The fire department requested anyone with information contact Longmeadow police.
