Appeal following fire at observatory in Dalmellington

Detectives are appealing for information following a fire at an observatory in Dalmellington which occurred in the early hours of Wednesday, 23 June, 2021.

Emergency services were called around 1am to the Dark Sky Observatory in Loch Doon and found the building to be extensively damaged.

A joint investigation between Police Scotland and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service will be carried out to establish the exact cause of the fire, however the circumstances are being treated as suspicious at this time.

Detective Constable Steven Grey from Kilmarnock CID said: “The observatory is run by a charity organisation and the financial impact and damage caused is extremely significant.

“It is vital we establish the full circumstances surrounding what happened and I am appealing to anyone with information to come forward.

“The observatory is in a remote location and I would like to speak to anyone who may have been in the area on Tuesday night, into Wednesday morning. I would also urge any motorists with dash-cams who were travelling through at the time to please check their footage in case they have captured anything which could be of relevance.

“Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland through 101, quoting incident number 0293 of Wednesday, 23 June. Alternatively you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”