Re-appeal following wilful fire in Fort William which is being treated as attempted murder

Detectives are reappealing for any information that may assist their investigation into a wilful fireraising in Fort William which is being treated as attempted murder.

Around 12.50am on Friday, 25 April, 2025, officers received a report of a fire at a house within Wallace Place. Some nearby properties were evacuated as a precaution and the fire was extinguished by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service.

Extensive enquiries are ongoing and detectives are continuing to examine 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, 25 April, 2025.