Fresno’s Romain Park rises from fire, reopens with new playground

The playground at Romain Park in southeast Fresno reopened Friday, months after it was destroyed by a fire.

District 7 Council Member Clint Olivier announced the reopening and thanked city officials for working to replace the burned-up equipment at the playground.

“Romain Park is one of the busiest parks in our city,” Olivier said of the greenspace at 745 N. First St. “Now District 7 residents and the children in Head Start have a place to play.” Head Start is a federally funded program that provides activities for young children.

The fire occurred midafternoon Sept. 20. Plastic structures, including slides and a small climbing wall, melted and rehardened. Plastic pooled on the ground.

No cause was readily apparent.

One child at the park that day was Dominic Voeuth, 10. He and some friends were playing nearby when they noticed smoke.

“That was my favorite playground, “ Dominic said at the time. “It was the only place we could play.”

Also announced Friday was a new skate park at Romain that will replace the current one. The city is joining with Fresno Building Healthy Communities and Street League Foundation to create the park, which should open in March.

This story was originally published January 29, 2016 at 10:05 AM with the headline "Fresno’s Romain Park rises from fire, reopens with new playground."