Police and fire officials say whoever set fire to playground equipment in a West Boise park early Tuesday caused about $50,000 worth of damage.

Nottingham Neighborhood Park, at 5243 N. Decatur Dr. in the Chinden Boulevard/Maple Grove Road neighborhood, is pretty much destroyed and the cause is definitely arson, Boise Fire officials said Tuesday.

"The neighbors I talked to are devastated," said Det. Mike Hill, an arson investigator for the Boise Police Department Tuesday morning. "Parents and grandparents were saying how much their children enjoyed playing on the equipment. They say the neighborhood itself put a lot of effort into getting the park and the playground renovated and now it's a total loss."

“Who would do something like this? We hang out here all the time,” said 14-year-old Zach Smith, standing with a group of other neighborhood boys surveying the damage Tuesday morning.

“You can see by my whole car full of kids how much they like this place,” added Amy Duffy, who lives in the neighborhood. “This is just horrible.”

Fire crews, called to the park at 3:49 a.m. Tuesday by a citizen who spotted flames, extinguished the fire quickly. But much of the equipment - including a jungle gym unit - was destroyed, fire officials said.

Investigators say there is nothing in the park that could have caused a fire, and it had to be set intentionally. They are asking for public help in identifying suspects and are asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 343-2677, or or log onto www.343cops.com, or text CRIMES or 274637, subject: Tip236.

Tipsters are eligible for a reward of up to $1,000 if information leads to an arrest in the case.