A care home have condemned the actions of a “reprehensible” gang who stole their minibus and turned it into a bonfire.
Balmanno House in the Maryhill area of Glasgow say the bus was popular among their frail and vulnerable residents who had been looking forward to outings in the run up to Christmas.
The home say the bus was stolen on Bonfire Night, November 5, and later found by emergency services in the early hours of Sunday, November 6.
Police were called to the scene of the fire in the Skirsa Square area of the city around 12.05am.
Footage posted to TikTok shows a gang of three on quad bikes circling the van which burst into flames in the centre of a grassy area.
The video, captioned “Only In Glasgow” later shows crews from Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) taking a hose to the flames.
Officers confirmed the vehicle was stolen with investigations into the incident ongoing.
In a statement from the care home directors, the act was branded “reprehensible”.
Directors said: “The theft and subsequent destruction of the Home’s Minibus on November 5 is not only sad and reprehensible but will lead in the short term to substantial curtailing of eagerly looked forward to activities among the residents of our care home.
“The residents are all of advanced years and many are physically frail. Use of the minibus at this time of the year as Christmas approaches becomes increasingly popular and the disappointment which our residents will feel will not be hard to understand.
“That such a turn of events should so adversely impact on the likes of Balmanno House, a charitable body, highlights the wantonness of the theft and loss tarnishes Glasgow’s reputation as it cares for its elderly citizens.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We were called around 12.05am on Sunday, November 6, to a report of a minibus being set on fire in Skirsa Square, Glasgow.
“The fire was put out by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and no one was injured.
“Enquiries have established that the minibus was stolen earlier from the Maryhill area of the city and enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances.”
A SFRS spokesperson said: “We were alerted at midnight on Sunday, November 6 to reports of a van on fire at Skirsa Square, Glasgow.
“Operations Control mobilised one fire appliance and firefighters extinguished the fire.
“There were no reported casualties and crews left after ensuring the area was made safe.”
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