Celtic chief exec’s family ‘shaken’ after explosion and fire at house

Peter Lawwell and his family were shocked awake in the early hours of the morning

Celtic‘s chief executive, Peter Lawwell, and his family have been left “shaken” by an explosion outside his home around 1am on Wednesday morning, May 19th.

The explosion was caused by a car being seemingly set on fire with the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) currently investigating, though arson is yet to be ascertained as the definite cause. Thankfully, no one was harmed in the blast.

The fire service and police units were called to Lawwell’s home in the middle of the night after reports of multiple cars on fire, with eight fire engines arriving on the scene in Peel Road, Thorntonhall.

Firefighters managed to extinguish the blaze but some remained at the scene for several hours, with road closures in place until around 7am. It is thought that the fire started in one car before spreading to other vehicles and leading to the explosion.

The club itself issued a statement following the incident:

#𝗖𝗲𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗙𝗖 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 ⬇️

A spokesperson for Celtic said:

"We can confirm that significant damage has been caused to Peter Lawwell’s house and vehicles there, following an explosion and fire early this morning, forcing the family to leave the property." pic.twitter.com/bZH9eO68A1

— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) May 19, 2021

The Celtic spokesperson goes on to say that, “Clearly, Peter’s family are extremely shaken and shocked by these terrible events, but thankfully all are safe.” They also stated that it is understood that “Police Scotland are currently undertaking a criminal investigation”, before adding: “Peter and his family will, of course, receive the full support and care of everyone at the Club.”