photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

A park shelter was damaged after an early morning fire on March 30, 2023, at Chief Jim McSwain Park at the corner of 19th Street and Haskell Avenue.

A Lawrence woman has been charged with arson in connection with a fire that did an estimated $40,000 in damage to a city park shelter.

The woman, Deanna Lee Harris, 52, is charged with one felony count of arson of a non dwelling, according to charging documents. The charges relate to a fire around 5:50 a.m. on March 30 at the Chief Jim McSwain Park at the corner of East 19th Street and Haskell Avenue.

As reported by the Journal-World, when Lawrence Douglas County Fire Medical crews arrived, the shelter and the picnic tables were engulfed in flames, according to a release from the department at the time. The estimated cost of the damage is $40,000 to the city-owned property. No injuries were reported.

Harris was arrested in connection with the incident on April 5 just after 11 p.m. in the 400 block of Maine Street, according to the jail booking log. She is currently being held on a $14,000 cash or surety bond.

photo by: Chris Conde/Journal-World

Fire investigators were working to determine the cause of a fire at a city park shelter on March 30, 2023, at Chief Jim McSwain Park at the corner of 19th Street and Haskell Avenue.