A man has appeared before court accused of “culpable and reckless fireraising” after a blaze tore through a Celtic Supporters Club.
Emergency crews were dispatched to the Forum shopping centre on West Road in Irvine when flames erupted at around 11.30pm on Monday, February 2. Mostly disused, the Forum complex was home to the Irvine No1 Celtic Supporters Club and suffered significant damage as a result of the fire.
The premises is linked to the town’s Rivergate Shopping Centre, which was forced to shut its doors on Tuesday last week due to the incident but has since resumed trading. Although there were no injuries reported, police later confirmed that a 41-year-old man had been detained and charged in relation to the blaze.
Kevin McElholm appeared at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court today facing a charge of culpable and reckless fireraising. He entered no plea and was committed for further examination. McElholm was released on bail and is scheduled to return to court at a later date.
Chief Inspector Judith Macgregor said:
“We were called to a report of a fire at a premises on West Road, Irvine, around 11.50pm on Monday, February 2. There were no reported injuries. A 41-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection and is due to appear at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court on Tuesday, February 10.”
At the peak of the response, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service deployed six fire engines along with two high-reach appliances to battle the flames, which continued burning into Tuesday afternoon before crews were eventually able to bring it under control.