Portrush fire investigated as arson: police

A large fire at a former tourist attraction in Portrush is being treated as arson, police have said.

Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) said it was called to reports of a blaze at the Dunluce Centre at 8.26pm on Monday.

Six fire appliances – two from Portrush, two from Coleraine, one from Portstewart and one from Ballymoney – attended before the operation was scaled down around 11pm.

On Tuesday morning, police issued an appeal for information and witnesses to the blaze at the centre in Sandhill Drive.

A PSNI spokesman said: “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, no-one was inside the premises at the time of the incident, and there were no reports of any injuries.

“It’s believed at this stage that the fire was started after access was gained to the building via a vent on the lower ground floor.

“Our inquiries into this incident, which we are treating as arson, are ongoing, and we are appealing to anyone who may have any information which could assist us, or who witnessed any suspicious activity in the area at the time, to contact 101, and quote reference number 2014 of 08/08/22.”

SDLP MLA Cara Hunter said the fire is a blow to the local community.

“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,” she said.

“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.”