Houston Playground Burns

HOUSTON --

Fire destroyed a preschool's playground and not a single child was hurt, KPRC Local 2 reported Friday. Witnesses said it was all thanks to an assistant principal's quick response.

Worthing High School Assistant Principal Andre Matthews literally jumped into action to get about 40 toddlers out of harm's way, as a fire burned dangerously close.

"He came over and jumped the back gate," said Tracy Joseph, director of the Sharp Early Childhood Development Center said. "He radioed for his staff to come over and assist us."

Those heroics came after a fire destroyed a storage shed near the Silver Eagle Club off of Reed Road.

Firefighters said strong winds blew embers over to the wooden playground and burned it to the ground.

The playground was just a few feet from the center and children ages 6 months to 4 years old were still inside.

Mathews said he didn't hesitate to hop a fence, clear the building and lead the children in the center to safety.

"It was instinct, my Boy Scout days," Mathews said. "Safety first, putting kids first, just your role as an educator. You make sure you do whatever is necessary to make sure every child is safe."

Witnesses said they saw several kids running from the storage shed site.

"We have a problem with the kids," said David Chambers, who manages a business near the fire scene. "We run them off every week.

I guess they don't have anything better to do. They just destroy people's property."

The folks at Worthing came to the rescue just in time, and it's wasn't just school staff.

The principal said some students also answered the call.

"Worthing is a community school and we just did the right thing at the right time," Principal Tamara Sterling

said.

"It was just a beautiful sight," Assistant Principal Joseph Richardson said. "I wish we had our camera out there."

No one was injured in either of the fires.

The center has insurance and the director said they will be able to replace the playground.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

If it does turn out to be a case of arson, witnesses said this would not be the first time the property has been set on fire.

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