A Paisley mother ripped her sleeping child from her bed after her garden was set on fire in the early hours of Friday morning.
Claire McGinley from Hunterhill has told of the horror she experienced when a neighbour banged on her door at 4.30am to raise the alarm.
Claire, her partner Mark and their daughter Everly were asleep when the neighbour spotted the rising flames and ran to get them out of the house on Chapelhill Road.
She said: “Mark saw the flames and shouted to me to grab Everly.
“I grabbed our wee girl from her bed, terrified and not sure where the fire was or what was happening and ran to our in laws who thankfully live across the road.
“I thought the sound of the flames crackling was just heavy rain. But it turns out it was a huge fire engulfing our garden and heading towards the house.”
Firefighters arrived quickly and managed to stop the fire from reaching the house.
However their garden and everything in it has been destroyed.
To their shock, the family learned this morning that the fire was one of two in the local area.
Both had been started deliberately.
Claire added: “It’s honestly sickening and terrifying to think that someone went home after doing this and probably crawled into their bed, that they might get up again today and decide to do this again.
“A totally random, violent attack on our property that, with a few minutes of difference, could have led to a very different and devastating outcome.
“Things can be replaced, people cannot. I know this and I am so thankful that we are all safe.”
Meanwhile Paisley police officers are asking anyone with information on the fire to come forward.
A spokeswoman for Police Scotland told the Express: “Around 6.35am on Friday, August 6, police were called to a report of a fire in the garden of a house in Chapelhill Road, Paisley.
“The incident is being treated as wilful and enquiries are continuing.
“Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland through 101, quoting incident number 0522 of Friday August 6. Alternatively you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
