Fire engulfs Vorhees Park in Reading

READING, Ohio - A young girl who ate lunch earlier in the day at Vorhees Park said her heart dropped when she saw it ablaze.

The park was engulfed in flames late Wednesday afternoon when a picnic shelter caught fire. Fire and smoke shot 50 feet in the air and melted a nearby slide.

"What a shame it is for all these kids," said Pam Boehm, who lives near the park. "They do free lunch here for the kids, and it's just a shame to watch it go up in flames when all these kids were on their way here to play."

The shelter is a total loss, and will have to be torn down, said firefighters who responded to the blaze. Investigators were on scene soon after the blaze was put out to try and figure out what started it.

Neighbors in the area say the park and picnic shelter will be a big loss to the community. Children frequent the park, where lunch is served during the summer, and families use the shelter for gatherings nearly every weekend.

A camera on a light pole overlooks the park, and might provide some clues as to how the fire started and who may have caused it. But it's not know if it's operational.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.