Crime scene at the canal An early Sunday morning fire, believed to be deliberately set, destroyed half of the canal playground boat at Canal Park, Delphi. The boat was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. Volunteers started building the boat six months ago, and finishing touches were just added recently. Sunday morning did not begin well for Dan McCain and others at the Wabash & Erie Canal Association when it was discovered the replica demonstration canal boat had been set on fire. Although the boat was significantly damaged, McCain and the stable of volunteers, board members and community members decided to rise above the ashes and move forward to rebuild the structure.

"One-half of the boat is gone," Mc- Cain said Sunday morning. "But nobody was hurt."

"We've got a spirited crew," he continued. "We can pick up the pieces and go from here with our capable volunteer cadre."

"We've still got the front half of the boat, but it was such a shock," he added.

McCain said he and another member were still at the canal center at 2 a.m. of the morning of the fire cleaning the building after a wedding party. He said he was called later in the morning, just after 6 a.m., and given the news the boat was on fire.

Photos provided Tri-Township Volunteer Fire Department Fire Investigator and Carroll County Sheriffs Department Sgt. Dennis Randle said the back of the boat was fully engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. One tanker and two pumper trucks responded to the blaze.

Randle said the fire was suspicious in nature. He said it appeared there were two points of origin.

"We consider this a crime scene right now," Randle said. "There was no lightening strike, no bad weather, no electricity, spontaneous combustion doesn't seem likely."

Randle said the structure did not have electrical service to it. He said evidence was sent to the Indiana State Police Lab in Lowell to be analyzed.

"We ruled out all natural causes and we decided it most likely was set," he said.

Dave Smith from Delphi, who is a volunteer who assisted in the building of the boat, was at the scene Sunday.

"This is just a set back," he said. "I imagine the back half of the boat from the steps will have to be rebuilt. But we can do that."

McCain said the last performance of the summer of "Life on the Canal" was given as scheduled Sunday afternoon.