Blairgowrie family asleep as arsonists torch home

Jul 15 2011 by Denis Brown, Perthshire Advertiser Friday

ARSONISTS attempted to torch a Blairgowrie family’s home in the early hours of Wednesday morning while its occupants were asleep.

A Tayside Police spokesman said that if the blaze at the two-storey Perth Road house had not fortuitously burned out, those inside could have been trapped and overcome by smoke.

“The occupants were fast asleep at the time and if that fire had caught and spread through the property, then potentially there could easily have been fatal consequences,” he said.

“It would appear that someone has reached in through an open window in the porch and set fire to a louvre blind.

“Flames have then spread across the blind onto the window frame and other items lying around before the fire fortunately burned itself out, otherwise it could have proved lethal.”

Police believe the unknown arsonists struck between 1.45am and 2.15am, either before or after they set fire to a skip in the garden of another house on Perth Road.

The spokesman said fire crews attending the scene at 2am discovered that four estate agents’ ‘for sale’ signs in neighbouring gardens about 50 yards apart had also been set alight.

Police officers conducted a search of the whole area but found no trace of the culprits.

Meanwhile, the smouldering porch escaped detection until later the same morning when family members awoke.

“I suppose we could probably attribute the burning of signs to a prank or foolish behaviour, but to target a house where people are sleeping, well that simply beggars belief,” said the spokesman.

Damage to the house was estimated at £2000 and police are appealing for witnesses who saw or heard anything suspicious, or with helpful information, to get in touch.

Contact Tayside Police on 0300 111 2222 or pass information anonymously to Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111.