The man who put Dalmellington on the stargazing map has spoken of his horror at seeing his vision turned to dust.
Mark Gibson admits he is "stunned and saddened" following the blaze which tore through the Dark Sky Observatory he founded back in 2012.
And Gibson, Laird of the Craigengillan Estate on which the observatory sat, says the incident has left him numb.
He said: "The observatory was a great dream of mine and a great vision.
"I have put a lot of my life and soul into bringing it to reality, so to have this happen is devastating.
"It is very saddening to think that anyone could be capable of something like this.
"We are talking about a place that was of immense benefit to the local community and far beyond.
"It will be a huge, huge loss."
Gibson received an OBE in 2019 – in part for his work creating the stunning observatory.
It was officially opened by then First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond and was later expanded in 2017 with the addition of a digital planetarium.
Visitors flocked from around the UK to the site as it was the only one of its kind in the world.
Its ability to teach all ages about the mystery of astronomy and space proved a vital learning tool for Ayrshire schoolchildren.
Now it lies in ashes, although those at the helm are pledging to mount a fightback and rebuild.
Marc Charron, chair of the trustees who run the observatory, said: "I absolutely cannot imagine the type of person who would bring themselves to do this.
"It has shocked all of us and is a very sad day for the community.
"It did so much for the local area and schoolchildren were heavily involved with fundraising along the way.
"We are all devastated."
In a statement, the board of trustees added "the enormity of the loss is slowly slinking in".
They added: "The tragedy has devastated all those who have put so much time and effort into developing the observatory into a successful and popular educational and tourism asset for the local area and for Scotland."
Sarah-Jane Laing, chief executive of Scottish Land & Estates, said: "The fire at the Scottish Dark Sky Observatory is devastating for everyone, particularly the local community, the charity that runs the observatory and Craigengillan Estate.
“We would urge people who may have information regarding this fire to contact Police Scotland as soon as possible.
“Craigengillan Estate was in poor condition two decades ago prior to Mark Gibson taking control.
"Since then, there has been a transformation which created an estate that is flourishing and is accessed and loved by the local community.
"The estate’s willingness to drive forward new ideas for the benefit of others was amply demonstrated when the observatory was opened in 2012.
"It is dreadful to see what has happened with the fire and we hope more can be understood about the circumstances as soon as possible.”
Police continue to appeal for information on the blaze which ripped through the building shortly before 1am on Wednesday.
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