The Municipality of South Dundas says facilities at three parks were damaged in a series of suspicious incidents early on Friday. According to a post on social media from the Municipality of South Dundas, city facilities at two parks were set on fire, while a public washroom at a third park was also vandalized. “The Municipality of South Dundas is deeply disappointed to share that three of our community parks were targeted overnight in a series of suspicious incidents, resulting in significant damage to public facilities that our residents rely on and take pride in,” the post reads. According to Ben de Haan, the Chief Administrative Officer of the municipality, South Dundas Fire and Emergency Services were sent to Matilda Memorial Park around 5 a.m., where a 10-by-15-foot storage shed was fully engulfed in flames. While crews were responding to the fire at Matilda Memorial Park, another blaze was reported at Iroquois Beach and some of the emergency crews were redirected to the second location. The fire at Iroquois Beach had started at a storage shed and had spread to a nearby washroom and canteen building. Vandalism was then discovered at the washroom facility of a third location, Earl Baker Park. No injuries were reported in any of the incidents. De Haan says while there has been vandalism in the area, he had not seen anything of this scale. The washrooms at all three parks will be temporarily closed, and the canteen at Iroquois Beach will also be closed. De Haan says there is no timeline for when the facilities will reopen, as the municipality will have to go through insurance before repairs and reconstruction can begin. While the Matilda Memorial Park shed will be more straightforward to replace, De Haan says the damage to the Iroquois Beach facilities was more significant. “Both fires are being treated as suspicious in nature. The Office of the Ontario Fire Marshal (OFM) has been notified and is assisting SDFES, and OPP with the investigation into the cause and origin of both incidents,” the municipality said. De Haan is urging residents to continue reporting any suspicious activities. “If you see something suspicious, call it in,” De Haan said. Ontario Provincial Police say they are investigating the incidents alongside the Office of the Ontario Fire Marshall.
