Police are hunting for two people in connection with a callous act of wilful fire-raising in East Lothian that left a resident suffering with smoke inhalation.
Emergency crews rushed to the scene at Baxters Gate in Tranent in the early hours of Wednesday, July 7 following a series of panicked calls from neighbours regarding a blaze at a property in the area.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) was able to battle back the flames in the quiet residential street and no serious injuries were reported.
However, one man received medical attention after the choking blaze left him requiring attention for smoke inhalation and officers now believe the fire was started deliberately.
They have now released descriptions of two suspects the want to trace in connection with the attack.
The first is described as a white female, of a medium build and wearing a dark coloured thigh length hooded coat, dark trousers and dark shoes at the time of the incident.
The second is said to be a white man, of a medium build and was thought to be wearing a dark coloured mask, light coloured jacket with dark sleeves and dark trousers and shoes.
Police have urged anyone with any information to come forward immediately and share it with officers investigating the case.
Detective Constable Jack Wall, of Police Scotland’s Dalkieth CID, said: “Thankfully nobody has been seriously injured as a result of this thoughtless behaviour.
“We are looking for the public’s help to try and identify those involved and anyone with any information is asked to speak to police."
DC Wall added: “Although this happened early in the morning, I would ask if there is anyone in the area with possible dashcam or CCTV footage that could assist with our investigation to get in touch with officers.”
Police Scotland can be contacted by calling 101 and quoting incident number 0347 of Wednesday, 7 July, 2021.
Alternatively, Crimestoopers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555 111.
