MUSKEGON, Mich. — Several Saturday morning fires at the Boys & Girls Club were intentionally set, according to the Muskegon fire marshal.
At 7:07 a.m. Saturday, the Muskegon Fire Department responded to a report of smoke in the building at the Boys & Girls Club of the Muskegon Lakeshore, located at 900 W. Western Ave., which is currently undergoing major renovation work.
"It was just like a combination of discouragement, and kind of, sick," Bob Scolnik, a board member of Boys & Girls Club of the Muskegon Lakeshore. "It was just discouraging for me because I know how hard we've worked on all these things and how much effort I put into it, and I've only put a little bit compared to some people."
Upon arriving at the scene, firefighters discovered moderate smoke conditions throughout the building.
While firefighters were investigating the source of the smoke, fires were located in multiple locations and were extinguished quickly.
The Muskegon fire marshal determined that the locations were unrelated to each other and were likely intentionally set.
"Somebody really needs to be prosecuted for this," Scolnik added.
He says the club has raised nearly $5.8 million to renovate the community center. The remodel includes a rock-climbing wall, a music recording studio and a golf simulator.
"One thing is, it gives the kids a place that they can call their own, and kind of a major piece of this is, it's a place to go after school where they can be, you know, they can do things," Scolnik said.
The club was getting ready to unveil the progress it has made so far on the renovations, but now, there's no clear timeline.
"This is our eighth year, the club. It hasn't been that long, but...it's really been an unbelievable success to me," he said. "But why somebody would want to damage this? Just makes absolutely no sense."
The fires are now under investigation by both the Muskegon Police Department and Muskegon Fire Department.
Anybody with any information about these fires should contact the Muskegon Police Department by calling (231) 724-6750 or Silent Observer at (231) 722-7463.
