Teenager Badly Hurt In Deliberate Fire

29 March 2017, 15:10

A teenage boy has suffered serious injuries in a deliberate fire which police are treating as attempted murder.

The 16-year-old was taken to Edinburgh Royal Hospital for Sick Children following the blaze in Adrian Road in Glenrothes, Fife.

Police are investigating two deliberate fires at houses in the town which both happened late on Tuesday evening.

Several people were inside each house at the time.

The first incident happened at around 11.30pm at a property in Alexander Road, while the second occurred about 10 minutes later at a house in Adrian Road.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service went to the scene along with police, and both fires were brought under control.

Police are carrying out a joint investigation with the fire service and have appealed for information.

Detective Chief Inspector Scott Cunningham said: "This incident is being treated as attempted murder and showed a blatant disregard for the safety of a number of people and children within the local community.

"There is a significant resource from local and national policing dedicated to this investigation and we are progressing several positive lines of inquiry.

"There is absolutely no doubt that this fire could have potentially been fatal as there were several people within both properties at the time.

"I would urge anyone who was in either the Adrian Road or Alexander Road area about 11.30pm yesterday and saw anything suspicious to get in touch with us as soon as possible, and we are particularly interested in speaking to residents who have private CCTV.''

Community Inspector Joanne McEwan said: "Incidents such as this will of course cause concern within the local community but I would urge people not to be alarmed.

"Residents will notice local officers in the area providing a visible presence over the coming days to support the community and provide reassurance.

"I would urge local people to speak to officers should they have any concerns or information that may be relevant to this incident.''