Mindless yobs set fire to a Kilmarnock house last night after torching fly-tipped rubbish that was lying against it.
Iona Wright, whose son and his girlfriend were at the property at the time of the blaze, said the fire attack could've had much more serious consequences.
The teenagers were at the back of the house as the huge blaze roared up the side of the Kennedy Court home on Saturday afternoon just after 5pm.
Frantic neighbours courageously pulled the rubbish — a bed frame and mattress — from the gable end just as the flames started to lick the roof.
The heroic locals helped Iona's son try and extinguish the flames with water until the fire crew arrived.
Iona, 39, told Ayrshire Live: "I got a video call from my 17-year-old son showing me this fire at the side of the house.
"Thankfully him and his girlfriend were at the side of the house when this happened but our dog was still inside.
"But he went back in to get the dog. I was 15 minutes away and he called the fire engine.
"Our neighbours were great and moved stuff away from the side of the house while it was still on fire and helped my son throw water on the rubbish."
The side of Iona's home is used as a bin run for a few homes and is a notorious spot for fly-tipping.
The bed and mattress dumped at the side of her home had been lying for up to three days before the fire was set.
And the blaze was so ferocious fire fighters checked Iona's attic to make sure the fire hadn't spread into her home. The crew also had to rip off rough cast and smash through a wall to check for embers.
Iona added: "Firefighters actually had to rip the wall off to make sure no embers were there and our cladding has actually melted, which it shouldn't have.
"Thankfully everyone is safe and there is no damage to the inside of the house.
"I kept thinking today that it could've been so much worse. My son sleeps like a log and I reckon it took two or three minutes for that fire to get to the extent that it did."
It's been claimed a gang of around 12 youngsters were responsible for setting the fire and now questions are being asked about the use of CCTV in the area.
"We did have a CCTV camera overlooking that area because I do get a lot of fly-tipping there but now it has gone as apparently it was only there temporarily."
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Officers received a report of a fire on Kennedy Court in Kilmarnock around 5.30pm on Saturday, May 28.
“The fire is being treated as wilful and was extinguished by Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. Enquiries are ongoing.”
Don't miss the latest Ayrshire headlines – sign up to our free daily newsletter here
