Firefighters enter third day tackling blaze at derelict hotel

Firefighters are spending a third day dealing with a blaze at a historic train station hotel which is expected to disrupt rail services for days.

ScotRail said that it does not expect to be able to run services to or from Ayr station for “at least the next few days” following the blaze at the derelict Ayr Station Hotel.

Multiple crews were sent to the scene in Ayr when the alarm was raised shortly after 5.30pm on Monday, with 15 appliances there at the height of the incident.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) said there were still appliances at the scene on Wednesday morning.

Police said that two male youths, aged 17 and 13, have been arrested and charged in connection with alleged fire-raising following the incident.

They will both be reported to the relevant authorities and further inquiries are ongoing.

It is the second fire this year at the derelict building.

Two teenagers were charged by police following a blaze there in May.

A number of roads in the town are closed as emergency services continue to deal with the latest incident.

It also caused disruption to local train services, with the line closed between Ayr and Girvan and between Ayr and Irvine on Tuesday morning.

On Tuesday afternoon ScotRail tweeted: “Unfortunately, we are not expecting to be able to run services to or from Ayr station for at least the next few days, following last night’s major fire, which @Fire_Scot is still fighting.

“Customers are advised to check their journey on our website, app and social channels for all of the latest information.”