'Everything was gone': Arsonists target North Sydney skate park

Arsonists struck the skate park on the site of the old North Sydney Forum, burning most of the equipment.

NORTH SYDNEY, N.S. -

A Cape Breton community is rallying to rebuild a skate park, built for teens by teens, after arsonists targeted it.

Arsonists struck the skate park on the site of the old North Sydney Forum over the weekend, burning most of the equipment.

"Six years we've been here building this, and in one night it was gone,” said skater Brady Rose.

Several of the skaters rushed to the scene when they heard about the fire at about 1 a.m. Saturday.

"Everything was gone,” said skater Daniel Matthews.

“They took everything into a big pile and just lit it on fire with gas. We just thought to ourselves 'What are we going to do?' You know what I mean? It's over."

Lloyd MacIntosh, North Sydney's fire chief, says while his crew easily put out the flames, it was a shame someone would destroy something the youth built themselves.

"To burn it down, to gather it into one spot, that took a bit of time. Somebody did this very deliberately,” said MacIntosh.

"It was their own initiative, their own time, their own money, what little money there was into it. They gathered things off the street. They gathered things out of heavy garbage, and they made a skateboard park for themselves."

Now, those who frequent the skate park hope to rebuild.

Community members and local businesses have dropped off donations of wood and tools. There’s also an online fundraiser.

The firefighters who responded have also chipped in to help.

"They were here the next day after the fire,” Matthews said.

“They helped us spray off all the soot and dust and stuff from the fire. They brought us down wheelbarrows, and shovels and rakes."

As a small token of thanks, the skaters plan to present the fire department with a painted and signed skateboard.

“We're going to write our names on it and sign it and bring it down to them,” Matthews said.

“In hopes that they like it and maybe they'll throw it up on their wall or something as a memento from us to them."

The incident was not reported to police.