A Motherwell woman set fire to a fence outside her home then assaulted neighbours who were trying to put out the flames.
Hamilton Sheriff Court heard this week that the blaze started when Sharon Morris tossed a cigarette into a pile of rubbish.
The fire damaged windows and garden fencing that had just been painted.
Morris, of Scotia Street, admitted culpably and recklessly igniting items on July 13 last year.
The 43-year-old also admitted spitting on a woman and a 70-year-old man and punching another man.
Aga Mathieson, prosecuting, said Morris was seen smoking about 9pm. She then discarded the cigarette, causing items to catch fire.
Ms Mathieson stated: "Neighbours came out of their homes and tried to extinguish the flames.
"One woman tried to speak to Morris who spat towards her twice, the saliva hitting her on the second occasion.
"Another neighbour tried to defuse the situation, but Morris punched him twice and when another man tried to calm her down she spat on him twice.
"Firefighters arrived and extinguished the flames."
Ms Mathieson said the fence had been painted only the day before and the owner was quoted more than £2000 for repairs.
Defence agent Elspeth Forrest blamed "excessive consumption of alcohol" for Morris's behaviour, saying she had been careless when throwing the lit cigarette away.
The solicitor added: "There were complaints from neighbours about what she'd done and she reacted in a way that is unacceptable."
Passing sentence, Sheriff Colin Dunipace told Morris: "I had considered custody and the only thing holding me back from imposing that is your lack of record.
"Had you a significant record it would have been a sentence of two years."
Instead, the Sheriff placed her under supervision for two years and ordered her to do 240 hours of unpaid community work.
Morris will be confined to her home between 7pm and 7am each day under a six-month electronic tagging order.
Don't miss the latest headlines from around Lanarkshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
And did you know Lanarkshire Live is on Facebook? Head on over and give us a like and share!
