Police have launched a probe after a Scots nursery garden was torched by callous firebugs.
Fire crews raced to Riccarton Early Childhood Centre on Jeffrey Street in Kilmarnock after the alarm was raised at around 1.20am on Friday. The blaze was started in the wooden staged area of the nursery and left the play area completely destroyed.
Footage taken from the scene showed huge flames with smoke billowing up into the sky as the fire quickly spreads. Images taken later on showed the area totally wrecked.
Garden furniture could be seen burnt out where the children's book area and toys used to sit. The area has now been cleared as locals plan to rebuild the garden.
James Cunningham, whose daughter lives next door to the nursery, told the Record: "My grandchildren of three and nine-years-old were in bed less than 10 metres away and this was at 1am in the morning. This fire could easily have spread to my daughter's house, and who knows what would have happened.
"The nursery have been dealing with a spate of vandalism recently with damage to the kids play areas but they took it to another level by setting fire to the weans gazebo area, which they sit under on their wee tables and chairs.
"We believe this was young boys who must have used petrol or something to start this as it was damp and wet last night. Someone must know who done this.
"They need taught a lesson before they kill someone. These are young juvenile boys who need to be caught, simple as."
The fire is being treated as wilful and police say their enquiries are ongoing. James now plans to build a new gazebo area and he's appealed to local businesses for donations.
He added: "The weans will be devastated as they can’t sit outside in the fresh air now, because of this. I am going to try and raise money to replace it and I am calling on local business or friends, whoever is in a position to help replace it.
"I will build it and do the work for nothing but we could do with some help to buy new chairs and tables for the kids as they got burned in the fire."
James owns the New Murray Bar nearby and donations can be made at the premises.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We received a report of a fire to furniture at a premises on Jeffrey Street, Kilmarnock, around 1.20am on Friday, February 3.
“There were no reports of any injuries. The fire is being treated as wilful and enquiries are ongoing.”
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "We were alerted at 1.01 am on Friday, February 3 to reports of a fire at a nursery on Campbell Place in Kilmarnock.
"Operations Control mobilised two appliances to the scene and firefighters extinguished a timber framed gazebo fire.
“There were no casualties and crews left after ensuring the area was made safe”.
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