CLIVE – A playground with newer, expensive equipment in this Des Moines suburb was set ablaze by arsonists, cops say, leaving total destruction.
On August 17, 2023, at 1:51 AM, Westcom dispatch received 911 calls of an outdoor fire at Stonegate Park, 15280 Boston Parkway in Clive, a suburb of Des Moines. Arriving police officers and firefighters found the playground in that park fully engulfed in flames. The fire was extinguished by the Urbandale Fire Department, who responded as the closest available unit.
The fire’s cause is suspicious and is being investigated as arson. The arson investigation is being conducted jointly by the Clive Police and Clive Fire Departments. The playground equipment, which will cost over $150,000 to replace, is a total loss. The playground area is closed to the public but other parts of the park remain open.
Clive Police Chief Michael Venema said, “We are saddened at the loss of this wonderful community asset and angered at the senselessness of this crime. We are working to determine who committed this criminal act so they are held legally and financially responsible.”
Anyone who saw activity in or around this park at that time or may have other information about this crime is asked to call police.
