Illegal New Year’s fireworks assumed to have scorched newly renovated Columbia park
A portion of the newly renovated Owens Field Park in southeast Columbia went up in flames over the New Year’s holiday, likely due to illegal fireworks, city spokesperson Justin Stevens confirmed.
The Columbia Fire Department was called to the park around 1 a.m. Jan. 1, where they found about one-third of a large field had been burned by what fire officials assume were fireworks being illegally set off in the public park, which prohibits the colorful combustibles. The city was not overseeing any organized fireworks show at Owens Field at the time of the blaze. The damage is thought to be caused by private citizens bringing their own fireworks to the park.
Officials cannot be certain that fireworks caused the damage, because there are no cameras at the park. But given that the fire occurred in the early hours of Jan. 1, officials believe fireworks is a safe assumption.
The damage is not believed to be extensive, but the city could not immediately provide an estimate for what it will cost to repair the damaged field. The fire does not appear to have damaged anything beyond a newly planted athletic field. As of this weekend, a long stretch of the field remained black and charred. City officials are meeting with landscapers Monday to determine the repair costs, Stevens said.
In September, the city finished a $1.8 million renovation of the soccer fields at Owens Field, where the fire occurred. That work included removing the old grass and sodding with new Bermuda grass.
That project also included installing a new irrigation system and grading the fields for better drainage.
But Stevens said the damage to the fields is thought to be surface-level and may not require extensive repairs.
.jpg "imagejpeg_0 (1).jpg")
This story was originally published January 6, 2025 at 10:02 AM.
