Travel agency ‘heartbroken’ after office destroyed in ‘deliberate’ fire

Staff at a Scottish travel agency have been left “heartbroken” after their office was destroyed in a fire that is being treated as deliberate by police.

SJ Travel Centre was among the businesses with a unit in Inverness’s Fairways Business Park, where firefighters tackled a “well-developed” blaze in the early hours of Sunday (March 9).

Agency owner Julia Macleay said: “We are truly heartbroken by what has happened, but at the end of the day the most important thing is that no one was hurt. Buildings and belongings can be replaced – people cannot. Thank you all for your support and understanding during this time.”

Police, who are appealing for information, said a Skoda Octavia car was deliberately driven into the building at around 12.05am on Sunday, before the premises and the car were set alight. The fire is being treated as wilful and there were no reports of any injuries.

A man wearing dark clothing and a balaclava was seen running away from the direction of the premises towards Walter Scott Drive, police said.

Officers want to speak to anyone with any information and are particularly keen to trace the occupants of a white pick-up truck seen in the area around the time of the incident.

Detective inspector Christopher Macleod said: “This was a reckless act and it is imperative that we find the person responsible.

“Extensive enquiries are ongoing and we are appealing for anyone who was in the area at the time, or who has dashcam or other footage, to contact police.

“I’d also ask anyone in the area to contact us if they saw either of [the] vehicles in the area at the time of the incident. Think back, did you see anything suspicious?”

SJ Travel Centre, which opened in 2015, had achieved its most successful month ever in February, with footfall playing a key role.

Macleay said about 50% of bookings generally came from face-to-face enquiries and customers visited from across the Highlands.

“People used to come down from the Isle of Skye to see us,” she said, adding: “People up here still want to visit a travel agency and they like coming in to see us. We’re not an online agency, so we need premises.”

Before opening SJ Travel Centre and becoming a member of The Travel Network Group, Macleay had been a homeworker with Travel Counsellors for about 15 years. Her career in the industry began in 1990.

She now employs three agents, with two of them having extensive prior industry experience through Thomas Cook and Hays Travel.

Although their premises has been reduced to a shell and everything inside it destroyed, Macleay said customers’ booking information is safely secured on the Cloud and no holidays have been affected.

Work is already underway to identify a new location for the business.

Macleay was first alerted to the fire by her son, who was driving past as it was in flames.

She and her colleague Sally Mackay-Wood, who had also been alerted, rushed to the scene and arrived at around 12.15am, remaining until around 3am.

Detective inspector Macleod added: “Anyone with information or dashcam footage should contact 101, quoting reference 0032 of March 9. Alternatively, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 and give the information anonymously.”

Photo: Facebook/SJ Travel Centre