Police say they are searching for more than one suspect in relation to the Castle Hill fire, with forensic teams seen gathering evidence at the crime scene and from a vacant block nearby.
The water sprinklers saved the brand-new Castle Hill centre from extensive damage, quickly containing the blaze at the Excelsior Avenue facility.
Forensic officer gather evidence at a vacant block behind Play to Learn Castle Hill. Credit: Nick Moir
The alleged arsonists forced entry at the rear of the building, police said, while Nine’s Today reported that accelerant was used in the alleged attack.
“Detectives are there at the moment, and they are examining all aspects of this investigation and CCTV will form a big part of that,” Detective Superintendent Naomi Moore told a press conference on Monday.
Moore said the arson attempt was “very concerning”.
“It’s a residential street, and it troubles us a lot. We will be putting plenty of resources into it today, and I’m really hopeful that the arson squad, assisted by my detectives and the region, will get an outcome for this shortly.”
Speaking after the Turramurra blaze on Friday, when the foyer and some exterior parts of the building caught fire, Play to Learn’s head of operations said she had “absolutely no idea” why the centre had been targeted.
“I can’t even comprehend why someone would even do this to a childcare centre,” Jemma Quinlan told Nine’s Today.
“There’s been no threats. There’s been nothing.”
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Play to Learn has been operating in Toukley on the Central Coast for 19 years, before recently expanding to Sydney with the two new centres. Both the Turramurra and Castle Hill opened within recent months.
Quinlan said that in Play to Learn’s nearly two decades of business, they had never seen anything like this.
“[We’re] a centre and a company that’s purely just trying to … serve the community, and be here for the children and families,” she said.
Detective Superintendent Naomi Moore suggested there could be patrols at the Toukley Play to Learn centre going forward.
“I can’t speak for what’s happening on the Central Coast, but I would say that there certainly would be some patrols of any other locations that might have a link to this.”
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