Police hunt fire starter after deliberate blaze near Morrisons petrol station in Johnstone, Renfrewshire

Police are hunting a fire starter after a deliberate blaze near a Morrisons petrol station in Renfrewshire.

Emergency services were alerted after a security guard spotted a blaze engulfing a small patch of gorse at the garage on Napier Street, in Johnstone, at around 8pm on Wednesday.

The blaze “fizzled out” by the time the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) arrived and nobody was injured as a result.

Officers investigating the incident have deemed the act to be deliberate and are appealing for information from any witnesses.

A spokesperson from the Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Police Division said: “There was an incident of wilful fire-raising which occurred at the back of Morrisons petrol station in Johnstone around 8pm on Wednesday, April 12.

“The security guard was alerted that a fire had been set at the rear of the petrol station. Emergency services attended and fire crews stated that the fire had fizzled out by the time they arrived. They’ve deemed it to be wilful.

“Enquiries are ongoing to identify the person responsible and extra patrols will be conducted in the area. Anybody who might have witnessed the incident is asked to contact police via 101 quoting incident number 3425 of April 12.”

A spokesperson for the SFRS added: “We were alerted at 8pm on Wednesday, April 12 to reports of a small fire in the open at Napier Street, Johnstone.

“Operations Control mobilised one fire appliance to the area where a fire had affected a small amount of gorse.

“The fire had been extinguished prior to the crews arrival and firefighters ensured the area was safe before leaving the scene.”