Latest news with #PlayToLearn
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
Childcare group faces second fire in four days
A childcare centre operator is dealing with a second suspicious fire in less than a week. An automatic alarm alerted authorities to a blaze at Play to Learn Early Learning Centre's Castle Hill centre in Sydney's northwest early on Monday morning. It followed a fire at Play to Learn's Turramurra facility on Friday the childcare operators labelled a suspected arson attack. Minimal damage was recorded in both fires, with an automatic system protecting the Castle Hill facility when firefighters arrived at 1.30 am on Monday. "Firefighters arrived to find a childcare centre which had an installed fire sprinkler system activated," Fire and Rescue NSW Acting Superintendent Mathew Sigmund said. "(We) gained entry to the building and located what had previously been a fire, which had been extinguished by the installed fire sprinkler system." Firefighters ventilated the building before handing the scene to police. There were no injuries in either fire while in Friday's incident, the centre sustained fire damage to its foyer and outside, along with smoke damage throughout. Operators of the childcare centre said a CCTV system captured the incident and they would work closely with police on the investigation. Play to Learn Founder and director Jade Luci said the alleged arson was senseless and had left the community heartbroken. "We have no concerns about safety when our families return, and we look forward to welcoming them back to a centre that remains as safe, nurturing, and connected as ever," she said. Play to Learn has operated for 19 years and runs three centres across NSW. Its Turramurra location opened less than two months ago.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- The Guardian
Police investigate ‘suspicious' second fire at Sydney childcare centre chain in four days
New South Wales police are investigating a suspicious fire at a second Sydney childcare centre, after another facility in the same chain caught fire three days ago. Police said they are investigating whether the two incidents – both at Play to Learn centres in Sydney – are linked. Emergency services were alerted at about 1.30am on Monday to reports of a fire at Play to Learn in Castle Hill, in Sydney's north-west, police said. The fire caused minor damage to the building. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email 'The fire is being treated as suspicious and detectives are investigating whether the incident is linked to a fire in Turramurra last week,' police said. The Play to Learn centre in Turramurra – in Sydney's upper north shore – caught fire on Friday. Police have established a crime scene around the Castle Hill centre and are investigating the causes of both incidents. Play to Learn has operated for 19 years and runs three centres in NSW. Operators of the Turramurra centre said their CCTV system captured the entirety of the incident and they would work closely with police on the investigation. The Play to Lean founder and director, Jade Luci, said the Turramurra centre's fire safety protocols had ensured there was minimal damage to the building. Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion 'We are heartbroken by this senseless act, but our commitment to safety and quality care remains stronger than ever,' Luci said. 'Our fire safety and surveillance systems worked exactly as they should. 'We have no concerns about safety when our families return, and we look forward to welcoming them back to a centre that remains as safe, nurturing and connected as ever.' More to come.
ABC News
6 days ago
- ABC News
Play to Learn childcare centre in Castle Hill torched three days after suspicious blaze in Turramurra
A Sydney childcare chain has been targeted with a second suspicious fire in four days. Detectives are looking into whether a blaze at Play to Learn's facility in Castle Hill in the early hours of Monday morning is linked to a fire at the company's centre in Turramurra on Friday. NSW Police said officers responded to reports of a fire on Excelsior Avenue, Castle Hill just after midnight on Monday. "NSW Fire and Rescue are on scene and have extinguished the blaze. There has been minor damage caused to the building," NSW Police said in a statement. "Officers attached to The Hills Police Area Command have established a crime scene and are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident." It comes after emergency services responded to similar reports of a fire breaking out at the Play to Learn childcare centre in Turramurra on Friday. Police last week said a small fire at the business on the Pacific Highway about 4:25am caused minor damage. Police said a group of masked men were seen on CCTV entering the building, pouring and accelerant before setting it alight and fleeing last Friday. The chain has a third centre in Toukley, on the Central Coast, which opened last year.
News.com.au
6 days ago
- News.com.au
Suspicious fires at Play to Learn centres in Castle Hill, Turramurra being investigated
A suspicious fire has broken out at a childcare centre in Sydney's northwest overnight - the second similar incident for the operator in a matter of days. Emergency crews were called to the Play to Learn centre in Castle Hill at about 1.30am on Monday, after reports of a fire. The flames were quickly extinguished, causing minor damage to the building. 'Firefighters arrived to find the fire sprinkler system activated and signs of a fire that had been extinguished by the sprinkler system,' a Fire and Rescue spokesman told NewsWire. No injuries have been reported. Police are treating the fire as suspicious, a police spokesman said. It comes after a fire tore through another Play to Learn centre in Turramurra on Friday. It also caused minor damage to the building and is being treated as suspicious. Play to Learn has been operating on The Central Coast for nearly two decades, and opened the Turramurra centre less than a year when the incident occurred. On Friday, the centre's head of operations Jemma Quinlan said she had 'absolutely no idea' why the business may have been targeted. 'It's horrific – we're here to serve the community, (and) we're here for our families and our children,' she told Today. 'We've been operating for 19 years on The Central Coast. We have an amazing reputation up there.' Police have established a crime scene and are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident. They are yet to determine whether the two fires are linked.
