April 28, 1977

Big slide gone but not forgotten

       It has been more than two weeks since the gigantic slide was mysteriously destroyed by fire at the Orchard Golf Center on State Road 135 in White River Township. During that time, one of the employees at the center has had “second thoughts” about the safety of such slides. Kay Boyd, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. John Browning, who own the center and its recreational facilities, said, “We never realized that the slide was such dangerous playground equipment.” She and the Brownings reiterated that the gigantic slide which was constructed in 1969 at a cost of $40,000 will not be replaced. It has since been dismantled. Mrs. Boyd continued, “If there had been children at the top of that slide when it caught fire, they would have perished.  I can see my kiddies who played on the slide many, many times at the top of that thing when it caught fire.”

         “It has scared me to many sleepless nights since the fire,” Mrs. Boyd related. “Never will I let my children go on one of these things again. And I’d recommend the same thing for any other parent.” The slide, which towered over the adjacent miniature golf course, driving range and par-three golf course, was made of fiberglass and according to fire officials, consequently burned in “flash fashion.” There is still a mystery to the blaze which broke out during the afternoon of April 12, 1977. Investigators are still trying to find out what caused the blaze to start. Investigators contend there was no insurance loss related to the blaze since the slide was not insured so there was probably no criminal arson. Nonetheless, firefighters and the Browning family would like to know the cause of the fire. Dee L. Corbin of the Indiana State Fire Marshal’s office, who was asked to assist in the investigation, spent some five hours at the scene with Bob Wehrman, Chief of the White River Township Volunteer Department; Dick Van Valer, Deputy Chief of the Greenwood Volunteer Fire Department, and Dave McDaniel, fire inspector for the White River Township Department.

         There was no electricity turned on to the slide. It had been turned off during the winter months. This was verified through the Public Service Indiana who furnishes the electricity. The slide was 36 feet high, 165 feet long, 24 feet wide and had 12 lanes to slide down.  The slide was made for the Kenworthy Corporation in California from whom the Brownings bought it. The company has since out of business. The fire was discovered by a man playing miniature golf who reported it to Leonard Dillingham, a maintenance man who was mowing the lawn only a few feet from the bottom of the slide. Dillingham reported it immediately to Mrs. Boyd who picked up the phone in the concession building and notified the White River Township Fire Department. The department received the alarm at 3:38 p.m. It was en route to the scene at 3:40 p.m. and arrived on the scene at 3:46 p.m. En route the driver of the first piece of apparatus called Greenwood to assist because of the amount of smoke he saw. Perry Township Fire Department was also notified at the same time. Greenwood was en route to the scene at 3:44 p.m. with one pumper and a rescue truck, although neither department knew what was on fire. Smoke rose to an estimated 300 to 400 feet in the air and was black enough to be noticed for several miles. By the time White River Township firefighters got to the scene, the entire slide was ablaze and when Greenwood arrived at the scene at 3:55 p.m. it had completely burned down. It took another 15 minutes to extinguish the rest of the remaining flames left by debris with water from the White River Township and Perry Township tankers. The Greenwood pumper unit stood by to protect the other structures near the slide.

         Investigators have sent several pieces pf the slide to the State Police laboratory in Indianapolis through the Fire Marshal’s Office in order to find out what kind of temperature it takes to set it on fire. Investigators say there is a possibility that a bird could have carried a lighted cigarette up under the structure into a nest and set fire to the slide. Since the source of the fire was enclosed, it is also possible that a small blaze heated the fiber-glass structure underneath before it was ignited by excessive heat. Electrical wiring, made of copper under the slide was melted. It takes between 1,980 to 2,000 degrees to melt copper, according to fire authorities. This means that the blaze started at 85 to 90 degrees and jumped to almost 2,000 degrees in less than 15 minutes.   (Reprinted with permission of the Daily Journal)  See original story HERE.

 

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