Early this morning, vandals set playground equipment at the recently renovated PS 29 on fire. Building manager John Russo told Carrol Gardens Patch he was planning to call the contractor who built the playground to see if any of it was salvageable. "This is just heartbreaking. We haven't even finished painting yet," said parent Lisa Trollbäck. more ›

Yesterday, we posted a photograph of a cab that caught fire in Williamsburg. NY1 had reported the driver was "trying to make it through the snow at Roebling and Grand Streets in Williamsburg when his engine overheated. Moments later, the car caught fire." Now, here's video with the voices of onlookers debating the cab's fate. more ›

Whenever we think there may be demons afoot, we do the sensible thing—call our local Roman Catholic bishop and see if the holy water special is still available. But not Jose Delcid: The Norwalk, CT man thought there were demons in a friends house, so he decided to perform his own exorcism ceremony by burning hats in their driveway. Delcid was arrested and charged with reckless burning; he wasn't admitted to the Norwalk Hospital psychiatric unit because of a policy that prohibits anyone who starts a fire. Delcid allegedly told police that the real culprit wasn't demons, but rather some bad marijuana he smoked, which led to him having strange thoughts while seeing people's eyes transforming and getting larger. more ›

[Updated with video below] An unidentified man began ripping pages of the Koran and burning them today at a protest of the proposed Islamic community center and mosque near Ground Zero. "If they can burn American flags, I can burn the Koran. America should never be afraid to give their opinion," the Daily News reports he shouted. more ›

Steel wool, chicken wire, fire... urban exploration is being taken to the next level of extreme. Seems nowadays kids aren't content with merely trespassing and snapping some photos... now they're running through abandoned subway tracks twirling these homemade concoctions around while they burn. The result is pretty cool though. Here are a few photos by Pro-Zak, who calls the process "burning," taken in Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn and even New Jersey. more ›

[UPDATE BELOW] We're getting reports that a taxi cab has exploded at 53rd and 7th Avenue. A tipster tells us: "The gas tank exploded... It was just in the right lane on Seventh Avenue at the light at 53rd Street. I was on Broadway and saw white smoke at first, then huge flames and the entire couple of blocks filled with black smoke. FDNY put it out but I think it took them a while to get there cause it was scorched. I don't think there was anyone inside, at least I hope not." more ›

After enjoying some NCAA basketball and drinks with a client at an Upper West Side barbecue restaurant one night last March, 31-year-old Lauren Sclafani was getting ready to leave when she was suddenly engulfed in flames. As "Great Balls of Fire" played on the jukebox, the bartender at Brother Jimmy's BBQ allegedly poured 151-proof Bacardi rum across the bar and lit it on fire. Which is usually harmless fun, except this time the flame blew black into the bottle, turning it into a "flamethrower," according to Sclafani's lawyer. more ›

A reader has just sent word that a "van just exploded into a fireball, a door flew off and hit a cop car. No one was inside." The tipster, who emailed this photo, tells us this is happened on 38th Street and Lexington Avenue. When pressed for more details, he replied, "I got nothing to offer man. Here's to Fridays! Have a good one." More on this as it comes in, but last year, cabs suddenly burst into flame in Midtown. more ›