A MAN who chairs a community group in Rhyl set up to try and restore an adventure playground to the town has labelled a fire in the surrounding area early this morning (June 16) a “massive setback”.

Firefighters have been in attendance at a building on Rhydwen Close since about 4am today.

It is believed to have taken place at a building adjacent to the former site of Rhyl Adventure Playground, which closed shortly before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dave Thomas is chair of the Venny Association, a community group which formed last year to try and restore the playground.

The scene of the fire last nightThe scene of the fire last night (Image: Submitted)

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LIVE: Firefighters tackle blaze in Rhyl

The building which has caught fire, he said, was a "purpose-built building on the site of the playground, with a kitchen, offices and a sports hall".

He said the group has been in the process of trying to get the playground back, along with Denbighshire County Council, but said this fire is a "major setback".

Dave said: "We wanted to get the adventure playground, and the purpose-built building adjacent to it, both back up and running.

"It's been a slow-turning ship, but the wheels were in motion. We wanted to bring it back to the community.

"This is bad timing - it’s a massive setback, but hopefully, the council will continue to work with us."

The site has been the target of fires previously – in 2019, garden waste was set alight at the park.

And in January 2022, a fire at the then-closed playground, “involving around four square metres of wood and general rubbish”, was “thought to be deliberate.”

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service said this morning that the cause of today’s fire is not yet known.

The building which caught fireThe building which caught fire (Image: Dave Thomas)

Multiple appliances have been in attendance at the scene.

Another resident told the Journal this morning: "I know that there were residents in talks with the council about getting the site back to an adventure playground.

"They are a community group meeting regularly to bring it back for the children as it’s a much-needed resource.

An overhead view of the scene earlier todayAn overhead view of the scene earlier today (Image: Submitted)

"This is a massive setback… the children in our area need somewhere to go and things to do.

"It was a much-loved and well-used playground for such a long time and it would benefit the children of Rhyl so much if it could be reinstated, as there isn’t much for children to do or places to go in our area."