Community football club's kit containers destroyed in deliberate fire

A community football club in Aberdeenshire has been left “saddened” after containers housing kit were destroyed in a deliberate blaze.

Emergency services responded to the fire at Mintlaw Boys Club on Friday evening, which had taken hold of two storage containers.

Police are treating the blaze as deliberate.

Following the fire, Mintlaw Boys Club posted a statement on Facebook, urging anyone with information to come forward.

Kit damaged in blaze at Mintlaw Boys Club Mintlaw Boys Club

“The club is very saddened to find out that last night our container at the Mintlaw pavilion has been damaged beyond repair after being deliberately set in fire, with many items within now destroyed also,” it read.

“We are a community club serving youngsters from the village and surrounding areas and this needless vandalism just causes unnecessary work for the club volunteers who already give up an incredible amount of time to help run the club!

“If anyone has any information, please contact the police and hopefully the can catch the persons responsible.”

Locals blasted those responsible for the fire, with local clubs, charities and companies offering to donate extra equipment to the community club to replace lost items.

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 7.05pm on Friday, August 15, to reports of two containers which had been set alight in the North Street area of Mintlaw.

“Operations Control mobilised two appliances to the scene and firefighters left the scene at 9.50pm after making the area safe.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 7.30pm on Friday, August 15, 2025, police received a report of two containers on fire in the North Street area of Mintlaw.

“The fire is being treated as wilful and enquiries are ongoing.”