A Scots grandad is living in terror after his campervan was petrol bombed outside his home.
Michael Sweeney was babysitting his 10-year-old grandson when his motorhome was targeted in the Carntyne area of Glasgow on Sunday evening.
The panicked 50-year-old ran out to douse the flames but was saved by a hero neighbour moments before the vehicle exploded.
Michael told the Record: “If the gas tankers had exploded while I was tackling the fire it would probably have killed me.
“The motorhome was a ticking time bomb.
“It’s a miracle no one was hurt.
“My grandson could have been inside. He sometimes goes in to watch TV or play video games.
“It was reckless.”
Michael was sitting in his living room when he noticed embers hitting the window. He called Scottish Fire and Rescue before running outside to attempt to tackle the inferno.
“I looked outside and could see the front of the campervan was on fire“, he said.
“I got the long hose from the garden and tried to douse the flames but the van was engulfed.
“My neighbour was an absolute hero. He heard a hissing noise and pulled me away before a fridge exploded inside and blew the roof off.
“The flames must have been 40ft in the air – the heat was so intense it felt like there was no escape.”
The freelance photographer later discovered an unexploded petrol bomb – a plastic juice bottle filled with petrol – inside the campervan after fire crews had put out the flames.
It is the latest in a string of attacks in the area in recent weeks.
A neighbour’s vehicle was also torched one day before Michael’s motor was set alight.
Pictures from the scene show a grey burnt out Jeep with melted tyres and police tape around the door handles.
Michael added: “It’s terrifying. It’s like a war-zone here. It’s out of control. It’s really sinister what is going on.
“Someone is going to end up getting killed.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 7.30pm on Sunday, 1 December, 2024, police were made aware of a motorhome on fire in Loretto Street, Glasgow.
“No-one was injured in the incident and investigations are ongoing to establish the cause of the fire. If anyone has any information, please call us on 101, quoting incident number 2975 of 1 December, 2024.”
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 7.11pm on Sunday, 1 December, to reports of a caravan on fire on Loretto Street, Glasgow.
“Operations Control mobilised three appliances to the scene, where firefighters extinguished the fire.
“There were no casualties, and crews left after ensuring the area was made safe.”
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