Accessible play area torched

One of Regina's two wheelchair accessible playgrounds is partially closed following a fire that police say was deliberately set.

The structure at the Rick Hansen Optimist Playground in A.E. Wilson Park, in the city's northwest, was set on fire over the weekend.

"I actually feel disgusted and embarrassed for the city," Rachel Flemming, the mother of a youngster who often visited the park, told CBC News Tuesday. "[The] kids, adults -- who ever did this -- should find something more constructive to do with their time instead of destructive."

The park was a welcoming place for Reece Flemming, four, who uses a wheelchair to get around.

"It's very rare that you get a park that's wheelchair accessible," his mom pointed out. "It's a blessing if you get those opportunities, because I can take him to a regular park but I can't put him on a slide, on a swing or a teeter-totter."

Damage has been estimated at $25,000 and the park will not be completely repaired until next spring.

"It is believed that the fires occurred sometime in the early morning hours of Saturday," Regina police said Tuesday, adding that the flames were likely set with "something more than a simple lighter or matches."

Anyone with information was asked to call Regina police at 306-777-6500 or use the Crime Stoppers line, 1-800-222-8477.

Regina's other accessible playground is at the Wascana Rehabilitation Centre.  A third playground is in the works at Gocki Park on Lindsey Street.