Three youths charged after fire at East Kilbride energy site caused thousands of pounds of damage

Three youths, aged between 11 and 14, have been charged following a fire at an East Kilbride energy firm's base, which forced the company to suspend operations after losing £60,000 worth of stock.

Multiple fire crews raced to the scene at Energy Pig's home office at the Scottish Enterprise Technology Park when it went up in flames on Tuesday (November 26) at around 5.45pm.

According to Lanarkshire Live, a huge blaze gutted a container which had more than £60,000 worth of stock inside, including heat pumps, solar panels, inverters, boilers, radiators, pipe and fittings, insulation boards, loft wool and specialist tools and equipment.

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There were no injuries following the fire.

Managing director at Energy Pig, David Macneill, said it was "alarming" how close the fire came to tragedy.

He said: "This fire has resulted in a stock loss exceeding £60,000. As a consequence, we have had to suspend our operations while we seek to restock and find new storage facilities.

"I’m thankful that no one was injured, but it’s alarming how close this came to a tragic outcome.

"We employ over 80 staff across Glasgow to assist individuals living in fuel poverty and vulnerable households, and this incident will have a significant impact on our customers and the East Kilbride community."

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 5.44pm on Tuesday, November 26, to reports of outdoor equipment on fire at a storage unit at Kelvin Road, The Murray, East Kilbride.

“Operations Control mobilised two fire appliances and firefighters extinguished a fire affecting a large industrial unit which had spread to a shipping container.

“There were no reported casualties and crews left the scene after ensuring the area was made safe.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 5.45pm on Tuesday, November 26, we were made aware of a fire in the Bramah Avenue area of East Kilbride.

“Officers attended, along with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, and the fire was extinguished. There were no injuries.

“A 14-year-old female youth, and two male youths, aged 12 and 11, were charged in connection with the incident and will be reported to the relevant authorities.”