Police investigate wilful fire-raising being treated as attempted murder

Police are investigating the wilful fire-raising of a house that is being treated as an act of attempted murder.

On Friday at around 12.50am, emergency services were alerted to the fire at Wallace Place in Fort William.

Properties in the surrounding area were evacuated and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) extinguished the blaze.

Enquiries are ongoing and detectives are examining CCTV footage from in and around the local area.

They are working to identify people or vehicles seen there around the time in question.

One of the people they wish to trace was seen in Wallace Place.

They were wearing two-tone trousers with dark-coloured patches over the knees and a hooded top.

Another man was seen running in Bruce Place wearing a dark coloured jacket, baseball cap and shorts.

Detective Inspector Andy Bilton said: “Whoever is responsible showed complete disregard for the safety of the woman and a girl who were within the property. Luckily no-one was injured however the consequences of this dangerous and reckless act could have been much more serious.

“If there are people in the local area with information that could assist or if you recognise the descriptions of the men given, please contact us. It is imperative to our investigation that anyone who saw anything suspicious or out of the ordinary, gets in touch as soon as possible.”

Anyone with information should contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 0140 of Friday, April 25, 2025.