Milngavie families awake to fire terror
FIRE raising vandals put lives at risk in Milngavie this week when they set refuse bins ablaze.
Wheelie bins were set alight in Craigielea Crescent in the early hours of Tuesday morning and it took several hours for firefighters to bring the blazes under control.
Windows were blown out by the intense heat and seals on doors and frames were melted as bins blazed the length of the crescent.
Crews from Milngavie Fire Station had to call on support from Clydebank to battle the fires which took almost four hours to be extinguished.
Councillor Jim Gibbons went to see residents on Tuesday morning and told the Herald: "I have asked police to put an extra patrol on the area for the rest of the week as the residents are very distressed at the incident and are genuinely scared it could be repeated.
"It seems they called police after the first couple of fires were set after midnight and thought matters had been dealt with, but around 2am it was discovered the culprits had returned and a further series of bins had been set alight.
"If the leaping flames had reached gas pipes it doesn't bear thinking about what could have happened."
One woman, who has young children and doesn't want to be named, said: "It was a terrifying experience to awake to.
"Bins were blazing everywhere and we were choking on toxic fumes from the burning plastic.
"At least one bin was so near a parked car in the drive that I thought the petrol tank would explode — it was difficult to decide if it was better for the kids to be in the house or in the street."
Constable Des Clark of Milngavie Community Safety team said: "This appears to have been repeated acts of vandalism over a short period of time, which could have had serious consequences for householders, had the fire spread from the bins, inside any of the houses involved.
"Given the number of incidents, it is likely that a householder may have seen someone acting suspiciously who is almost certainly a local person.
"I would urge anyone who knows the identity of the person or persons responsible to contact the police directly on 532 4018 or via Crimestoppers on 0800 515 111."
Councillor Gibbons ensured help was given to residents to clear up the burnt out debris on Tuesday morning and promised replacement bins would be with them as soon as possible.
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Weather for Milngavie
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 10 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
