A Scots church was "deliberately" set on fire, sparking a frantic police investigation in North Lanarkshire.
Fire crews raced to the scene at Jackson Parish Church on Glen Road, Airdrie, after the alarm was raised just after 3am on Sunday.
The front of the church was left damaged by the blaze which was put out by Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.
No injuries have been reported, according to Glasgow Live.
The church has now been forced to close to worshippers which was confirmed by Minister Rev Kay Gilchrist on Facebook.
The statement said: "Morning all. It is with regret that we have to cancel the church service today and the church building will remain closed until further notice.
"The police are investigating fire and smoke damage caused to the front of the church."
Rev Gilchrist also thanked whoever called the fire brigade, saying the (extensive) damage to the vestibule "could have been much worse" had it not been for them calling 999.
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: "We received a report of a fire at a church on Glen Road, Airdrie, around 4am on Sunday, 13 February, 2022.
"There were no reports of any injuries. The fire is currently being treated as wilful and enquiries are ongoing. Officers are following a positive line of inquiry. Anyone with any information is asked to contact 101 quoting incident 0719 of 13 February, 2022.”
"A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said: "We were alerted at 3:09am on Sunday, February 13 to reports of a fire at Jackson Church of Scotland on Glen Road, Airdrie.
"Two appliances were mobilised. Fire crews extinguished the fire and left."
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