A colossal blaze at a former school in Midlothian, Scotland is being treated as suspicious according to the police who are investigating the circumstances.
The old Paradykes Primary School in Loanhead was subject to extensive damage as a result of the fires, which took place on the 4th November.
At 9:37pm, emergency services were called to the building to try and tackle the fires, and upon arrival, they found the building “well alight”.
Authorities were initially alerted to the possibility of a person being trapped inside the building, however it was later confirmed by officials that there were no casualties from the blaze.
As part of their investigation into the fire, police said that they would be extensively delving into the CCTV footage, as well as conducting door-to-door inquiries, to try and establish some leads.
Speaking about the investigation, Inspector Neil Mitchell said they had a fair amount of information that could be of beneficial use, but appealed to the public to try and assist with the police in any way they can moving forwards.
“We have information that a number of youths were seen in the area near to the building prior to the fire starting,” Mitchell said.
“We are appealing for anyone who may have been nearby and saw any youths at the building, or have information relating to the fire, to contact us on 101.
“We’re also keen to hear from anyone who may have their own CCTV system in or around the area of Mayburn Walk to get in touch.”
Appliances from Dalkeith, Penicuik and Liberton came to try and assist with the fires, with pumps and hoses being used to try and extinguish the flames.
Speaking about the incident, a Scottish Fire and Rescue spokeswoman praised their collective efforts, and stated that the firefighters battled the flames externally given the nature of the building.
A Scottish Fire and Rescue spokeswoman said: “They fought the fire externally as the building was fully involved.”
Fire crews were still on hand at the scene until 7am on Sunday the 6th November to dampen down the affected areas, which is essential as it prevents future fires from breaking through in the same area.
