Petrol bomb attacks treated as murder bids

Two homes in Glenrothes suffer significant damage after flaming missiles are thrown through windows

A Glenrothes grandmother says she has no idea why her home was targeted in a fire-raising attack on Tuesday night.

Margaret Spinks fled her home on Alexander Road, in the Warout area of the town, as just yards away a second property was also set alight in what police are treating as cases of attempted murder.

The family were forced to run from their blazing property, with one of the flaming projectiles having missed a child by just a few feet after it was thrown through the ground-floor window of an extension to her terraced home.

It comes as a 16-year-old boy was taken to hospital following the second blaze on Adrian Road, just a few hundred yards away.

He is understood to have sustained burns, with police now having launched a major investigation.

Asked if she knew why her home had been targeted, Ms Spinks said: “I’ve not a scoobie. I’m puzzled.

“The house stinks of petrol, but luckily one never went off in my granddaughter’s bedroom, so we just need to wait for forensics to see if I’m allowed back in my house.”

As fire crews raced to tackle the blaze at Alexander Road, the alarm had also been raised at another terraced house on Adrian Road.

Seemingly targeted again by petrol bombs, the property is understood to have been occupied by those named locally as Sarah Naylor, partner Peter McLaren and five children, including two babies.

Both properties sustained significant damage in the blazes, with forensic officers joining police and fire investigators at the scene all day yesterday.

Appealing for witnesses to come forward, Detective Chief Inspector Scott Cunningham said that the fires were being treated with the utmost seriousness.

“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,” he said.

“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 on Tuesday, 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.”

Meanwhile, in an attempt to reassure Warout residents, Community Inspector Joanne McEwan of Glenrothes Police Station confirmed more officers would be deployed throughout the area.

In a statement, she 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.”

Police are calling on anybody who may have information to contact them on 101, or to call the charity Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555 111.