GARDAÍ ARE INVESTIGATING a fire that completely destroyed a football clubhouse in Wicklow at the weekend, causing tens of thousands of euro in damage.

The incident occurred on Saturday evening and emergency services attended the scene at Rathnew AFC but the fire quickly spread through the building, causing considerable damage, as seen in the images below.

Gardaí said that they are investigating criminal damage to the building which could cost up to €50,000 to repair.

The fire started at the rear of the building and there was extensive damage to the roof but gardaí said they have not yet established the cause.

Local Sinn Féin councillor John Snell said it is a huge loss to the community as the club is not just used for sporting events but is “used by a wide variety of groups” with activities for all ages.

“I was the first adult on the scene and it was actually sickening to witness, ” he said. “There were lots of kids around. The fire started in a unit beside the clubhouse that’s used for storage so I don’t think the intention was to set the actual building on fire, it was just stupidity.”

Snell retrieved CCTV cameras to pass them onto gardaí and he told TheJournal.ie that they are now following a “definite line of inquiry”. The councillor said that the FAI will hold a summer camp at the club next month and that the community will now pull together to get construction underway as soon as possible.

There were no reports of injuries and no arrests have yet been made. Anyone with information on the incident can contact gardaí in Wicklow on 0404 60140 or the Garda Confidential Line 1800 666 111.