DENTON COUNTY, Texas — Police said they've taken two children into custody in a fire that engulfed a school playground in Providence Village in Denton County.
The Aubrey Police Department posted a picture of the aftermath of the fire on social media. The fire happened at Providence Village Elementary School on Tuesday.
“The playground was fully engulfed in flames,” Aubrey Police Lt. David Bruce said. “I'm sure that it's going to be a significant loss.”
Police said they found evidence at the scene that suggests the fire was set intentionally.
By 10:45 p.m. Tuesday, police posted an update that two juveniles were taken into custody.
They haven't been identified, but Aubrey police say they've been taken to the Denton County Juvenile Detention Center. It wasn't known what, if any, charges the children will face for allegedly setting the fire.
The fire has been another police incident in Providence Village in recent weeks.
The neighborhood, which sits just north of U.S. 380 east of Denton, has been the center of controversy since the homeowners association banned property owners from renting to Section 8 families.
Section 8 is a government-subsidized rental assistance program. According to the Denton Housing Authority, there are 81 families on Section 8 in Providence Village: 91% are black and 4% are Hispanic; 30% include a person with a disability; 2% percent are elderly; and one is a military veteran.
The Providence Homeowners Association also passed new laws this month that allow people to own and rent out only one home at a time.
It’s aimed at investors, who have reportedly come in and bought several properties in Providence Village to rent out.
“This is our home. This is our investment. This is our long-term retirement plan,” a Providence Village homeowner told WFAA. “If all these investors just come and buy up everything, then we're going to have to be forced out because it's no longer a homeowners’ association. It will be an investors’ association.”
The Denton Housing Authority said families affected by the changes have been instructed not to move and that families can file a complaint with the Office of Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity. The housing authority said it plans to take legal action on behalf of impacted families.
As tensions have arose, Aubrey police officers have responded repeatedly to Providence Village.
“I've had my fence kicked in. I've had stuff thrown at my dogs. This is not what I imagined it was like. And it's definitely not like the first year when I first moved here,” the homeowner told WFAA. “We will solve crime eventually, and we're making progress as far as neighborhood watches. But in the meantime, we got to stop the investors now before it's too late.”
WFAA asked police if Tuesday’s fire at the elementary school playground is related to the tension stemming from the new HOA laws.
“It's absolutely not related to that,” Lt. Bruce said Wednesday. “It was two juveniles who had absolutely no connection with what's going on with the HOA and probably would have no idea what it was.”
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