Police in Mid & East Antrim are appealing for witnesses following a fire at a commercial premises in the Point Street area of Larne last night, Wednesday 31st January.
The alarm was raised when Northern Ireland Fire & Rescue Service (NIFRS) received a report of a fire at the Mid Antrim Animal Sanctuary shop at 9:25pm. Two Appliances from Larne Fire Station attended the scene.
A spokesperson for NIFRS said:
"Firefighters were called to reports of rubbish on fire that had spread to the entrance of a commercial premises yesterday evening.
"Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus, used two hose reels and one jet to extinguish the fire.
"The incident was dealt with by 10.42pm and the cause of the fire is being treated as deliberate ignition at this time."
Speaking following the incident PSNI Chief Inspector Bryan appealed for information saying:
"Officers received a report from our colleagues at the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service shortly after 9.30pm, that the front of a shop was on fire.
"When officers arrived, the fire appeared to be largely concentrated to the front of the shop, causing significant damage to the shutters and signage.
"Fire fighters were already in attendance to extinguish the blaze, and at this stage, it is believed that the fire was started deliberately.
"Our investigation is underway and anyone with information or who may have been in the area at the time of the incident, is asked to contact us on 101 quoting 1804 31/01/24."