Playground equipment in a Coon Rapids park was reduced to ashes Friday in an apparent act of arson.

A neighbor who lives near Delta Park on the 11100 block of NW. Yukon Street spotted the fire just before 9 p.m. and called police, said Capt. Jon Urquhart.

The equipment, which was installed last year after city residents approved a property tax referendum to update city parks, was a total loss. The damage to the swings, slide and climbing structure was estimated at $3,500, Urquhart said.

It was not immediately clear what was used to start the fire, but "we suspect it was an accelerant because it got so hot," he said. "Evidence leads us to believe that it is intentional."

So far nobody has come forward with information about who is responsible for destroying the equipment in what Urquhart called "a nice" neighborhood park surrounded by homes on three sides.

Because of the park's location, Urquhart speculated that the suspects likely are local, and that the incident is not related to arsons that have occurred in other communities this summer.

Anybody with information can call police at 763-767-6481 or the Anoka County Sheriff's Office at 763-427-1212.

Tim Harlow • 612-673-7768