A father and son feared for their lives during a firebomb attack on a quiet Dunfermline cul de sac.
Still shaken by the events that unfolded in Clay Acres Court, worried father Frank Moffat told how his teenage son Barry had smashed through a double glazed window in his panic to flee the flames.
Fife Police said that two local men, aged 20 and 25, had been charged in connection with the incident and will appear at Dunfermline Sheriff Court today.
The drama unfolded in the peaceful town centre courtyard at 6.15am on Tuesday.
Mr Moffat, who celebrated his 46th birthday on Monday, said he had woken at about quarter to six and went to the toilet.
“I remember thinking there was no point in going back to bed knowing the alarm would go off at twenty past six and it was then that I heard a massive explosion.
“The whole house lit up and I could see the flames outside.”
He quickly ran to his son’s bedroom to rouse him but Barry (18) ran past him into his bedroom and smashed through the window to try and escape.
“I think he was thinking the flat was on fire I pulled him back and told him I didn’t think the fire was in our house and calmed him down.Window in flames”But really it was like the flames were up the walls of the flat inside I didn’t know if they were outside or inside.
“I think there was petrol on the window which was alight and the flat just lit up.
“I didn’t need to put a light on, I could see from the flames.”
Police, the fire service and ambulance service were quickly on the scene and Barry was taken to Queen Margaret Hospital where he was treated for cuts to his arm and later released.
A local man Rab Todd was out walking his dog at the time of the incident.
“I heard the shouting,” he said. “Then the police cars and fire engines came in and the ambulance appeared.”
He said everyone in the area, just off Inglis Lane, was talking about the early morning incident.
“Most of the time it is very quiet here,” he said.
Detective Inspector David McLaren, who is directing the investigation, said: “We are currently gathering evidence at the scene, noting statements and carrying out forensic scenes of crime examinations.
“At this early stage it would appear that some type of flammable liquid has been thrown at the block of flats and subsequently ignited.
“Fortunately no persons were seriously injured and there was no extensive damage to the property.”
A spokeswoman for Fife Fire and Rescue Service said the device, a petrol bomb and a brick, did not break the window of the property but exploded as it hit.
The fire service stood down shortly after arriving as the fire had not taken hold.
The Scottish Ambulance Service added one person had been taken to hospital with “minor injuries.”
DI McLaren urged anyone with any information to contact Fife Constabulary on 0845 600 5702 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.