A fire at the Dunluce Centre in Portrush on Monday night is being treated as arson, police have confirmed.
The Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) said it was called to reports of a blaze at the Dunluce Centre at 8.26pm on Monday.
At its height, almost 50 firefighters were dealing with the blaze at the former entertainment complex on Sandhill Drive in the town.
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Six fire appliances - two from Portrush, two from Coleraine, one from Portstewart and one from Ballymoney - attended the operation, which was scaled back at around 11pm. and the fire has since been extinguished.
The PSNI has confirmed damage was done to a play area inside the building and said the fire was started after access was gained through a vent.
PSNI Sergeant McCrystal said: “Shortly before 9.20pm yesterday, Monday 9 August, officers received and responded to a report of a fire at the Dunluce Centre at Sandhill Drive in the town.
"Colleagues from the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service also attended the scene and managed to extinguish the blaze, which has resulted in damage being caused to a soft play area inside the building.
"Fortunately there was no one inside the premises at the time of the incident and there were no reports of any injuries.
"It’s believed at this stage the fire was started after access was gained to the building via a vent on the lower ground floor.
"Our enquiries into this incident, which we are treating as arson, are ongoing.”
SDLP East Derry MLA Cara Hunter said the incident is a blow to the local community.
Ms Hunter said: “The community in Portrush is deeply concerned by this suspected arson attack at the site of the Dunluce Centre. This large blaze required nearly 50 firefighters to tackle it and we’re lucky that nobody was injured as a result of this fire.
“I am aware that anti-social behaviour has been a problem in this area for some time and it’s extremely disheartening that the situation has ended in this way. I hope efforts will be made to secure the building to prevent any further damage while the situation is assessed.
“Police need to send a clear message that this kind of act will not be tolerated in Portrush, a community that is known for its warm welcome as one of the North’s premier tourist spots and I’d ask anyone with any information about what happened here to come forward to police.”
The police said anyone with information should call the non emergency number on 101 and quote reference number 2014 of 08/08/22.
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