An "enormous" blaze in the grounds of a Scots primary school that consumed an equipment shed is being treated as wilful by police.
More than a dozen people phoned 999 after the fire took hold in the grounds of Muiredge Primary School in Uddingston, South Lanarkshire, at around 3.45pm on August 9. Eyewitnesses said thick smoke soared into the sky as the shed, believed to contain wooden pallets, burned - and high winds threatened to divert the flames towards neighbouring houses.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service sent one fire engine to the Watson Street school, and firefighters used a single hose reel jet to extinguish the blaze and dampen down the scene. They left the scene at around 4.20pm.
A local resident told the Record that she had her windows open amid the muggy weather - but had to close them when she realised she wasn't smelling a barbeque from the next house over.
She said: "It started at about 3.45pm. I first noticed the smell as my windows were open and I thought someone was having a barbeque in a garden over the wall. It was a wee shed that was on fire - the smoke got stronger really quickly and the flames were enormous.
"My first thought was for the kids that play around there, and there's a grassy area beside the school that they use as a cycle path. Then I noticed the flames were getting closer and closer to the houses - they were getting blown about by the wind.
"The fire engine was on the scene in about five minutes and they dealt with it pretty quickly. It was crazy."
Police have confirmed that they are treating the blaze as a deliberate incident of fire-raising. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "We received a report of a fire at an outbuilding within the grounds of Muiredge Primary School on Watson Street, Uddingston, Glasgow, around 4.15pm on Tuesday, 9 August, 2022.
“There were no reports of any injuries. The fire is being treated as wilful and enquiries are ongoing.”
A Scottish Fire and Rescue spokesperson said: "We were called to attend to reports of a shed on fire in the grounds of Muiredge Primary School, Watson Street, Uddingston on Tuesday August 9. The first call came in at 3.48pm and we received 14 calls from members of the public concerning this incident.
"We sent one appliance to the scene and used one hose reel jet on a metal container that was on fire and contained wooden pallets. The stop message came in at about 4.21pm."
A South Lanarkshire Council spokesperson said: "We can confirm reports that a shed was set on fire in the grounds of Muiredge Primary school yesterday [Tuesday] afternoon. We continue to help Police Scotland with their enquiries as we assess the extent of any damage."
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