Father fears for life of three-year-old son after suspected attack

THE father of a toddler has told how he is living in fear that arsonists will attack his home a second time.

A fire at David Foster's home in Dunbar High Street started when his friend Mark Brown, 35, and Mark's nine-year-old son Darren were in the flat last Sunday evening.

It began by the front door, and is suspected to be the work of fireraisers who pushed something flammable through the letterbox and set fire to it.

The two only escaped when firefighters arrived to extinguish the flames, and they had to be treated for smoke inhalation.

Mr Foster, 33, said he had no idea who could have targeted the flat, and feared the mystery fireraisers could strike again: "I'm now living in fear – I'm staying in that flat, living in fear.

"I don't know it's not going to happen again. I've got a three-year-old son, Luke, that I have at the flat at weekends. If I had my three-year-old up there and he'd decided to go for a sleep, I often go for a sleep too when he does, and if we'd been asleep it would have been a lot worse, it's horrific.

"The flames were right by the door and there's no other way to go out of the flat.

"If it was just me, I'd jump out the window, but I can't throw my son out of a third floor window, can I?"

Mr Foster's partner Lisa is Darren's mum, and he said he often allowed Mr Brown and Darren the use of his flat.

It was around 5pm on Sunday that the fire broke out, he said: "Mark was making Darren's tea, he was making him noodles in the kitchen. He went through the kitchen into the living room, gave him his noodles and by the time he had come back into the hall, the smoke was piling into the hall. He said that the flames were past the letter box.

"They got treated for smoke inhalation, but they didn't get taken to hospital. Obviously Darren was a bit shaken up, they kept him off school the next day."

Dunbar fire and rescue watch manager Kevin Blair said: "We suspect it was a suspicious fire, and the fire investigation team are carrying out an examination. Using the letter box and pushing something through was the most likely cause.

"If it wasn't for the time of day and the fact they had a smoke alarm, we probably would have lost a life in this.

"It was quite a small fire that was concentrated around the carpet. In my 30 years it is only the third time I have come across a deliberate fireraising at a home."