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Playground Wood Mulch Fires
The summer of 2007 was one for the record books. The southeastern United States dried to a crisp under relentless heat and sun, uninterrupted by rains for weeks at a time. For some places, it was the worst drought since weather records have been kept.
Meanwhile, in Texas, the summer began with record setting rainfall, which was followed by a heat wave. Fire officials believe that this combination of the elements led to a school playground in Arlington Texas catching fire in August of that year. Other playground fires had been reported close to that time, but in those cases, officials were unable to rule out human intervention.
The Arlington fire, however, was on surveillance video from beginning to end, and there was nobody around to start the fire. The camera caught the mulch growing discolored, and then smoking before erupting in flames. However, once flames became visible, the fire spread rapidly, melting plastic equipment and belching thick, black smoke into the air. Fortunately, fire officials concluded that the playground was not close enough to the school to cause a fire threat to it.
The series of weather-related events leading up to the spontaneous combustion was unusual. The heavy rains during the first part of summer caused the mulch to begin to decompose. Once the rains stopped and the heat began, decomposition sped up. Decomposition releases heat, and the wood mulch on the playground was no exception.
According to the Arlington, Texas Deputy Fire Marshal Keith Eber, mulch must be turned over frequently to keep excessive heat from building up. "If you have not turned it in the last two weeks, you probably cannot stick your hand in it," he told The Dallas Morning News.
Fire officials say that in severe heat, mulch can easily catch fire. Landscape islands around shopping malls have been known to erupt in flames multiple times in one day, stretching fire department resources thin. It is important for mulch to be raked regularly to avoid this. Before the playground fire, the Arlington school policy was to rake playground mulch every 30 days. Once it was determined that the mulch in the one playground caught fire spontaneously, the school system replaced wood mulch with pea gravel in every playground that had been using wood mulch.
While it took a "perfect storm" to produce the conditions that caused the Arlington playground fire in 2007, the school system there decided not to take any chances. Fortunately for Arlington, other choices for playground surfacing abound. Rubber mulch made from ground up tires is one option. While there is no conclusive evidence, there are people who say that rubber mulch leeches chemicals into the soil. Pea gravel, as was used post-fire in Arlington, is another option, but it is more expensive. On the other hand, pea gravel does not ever have to be replaced, just supplemented as enough bits of gravel go home in shoes to make a difference.
There are also solid playground surfaces that are poured in place, or that come in thick, snap-together tiles that can be put on top of a concrete pad. While these surfaces are expensive to install, they are much easier for children in wheelchairs to use, and would not have had the decomposition/heat risk that the wood mulch in Arlington did.
Playground surfaces have come a long way since the poured concrete of the mid twentieth century. While playgrounds are safer than ever, the wood mulch fire in Arlington in 2007 showed that accidents can happen when circumstances come together in just the right way.
Playground Wood Mulch Fires
Catching Fire
Playground Wood Mulch Fires
Playground Wood Mulch Fires
Playground Wood Mulch Fires
