“When I heard the first scream, I was pretty alarmed,” reported neighborhood father, Jack Glaser. “But I quickly realized it was just this one 8 year old boy by the fence who was freaking out over a fire truck. But the scream set off a massive scramble toward the fence.”

“Within seconds, there was just this convulsing mob of little bodies," Glaser continued, "All gleefully screaming and pushing up against the gate. The rest of the playground was completely deserted.”

“And everything really descended into chaos when one of the firefighters stuck out his hand and waved,” an astonished Glaser continued, “Some kids started ecstatically flailing around and screeching like sirens. Others surged up the sides of the fence. One child broke away and was wildly jumping around while brandishing a broken stick like a water hose.”

At press time, the playground had settled into a moment of peace before a bulldozer rounded a nearby street corner.