A TWO-month-old baby suffered smoke inhalation after a suspected fire attack on a car parked underneath the infant’s home.
The family were forced to flee for their lives early this morning as thick black smoke poured from the blazing vehicle and into their Edinburgh flat.
The baby breathed in some of the potentially deadly smoke and was given oxygen at the scene by firefighters.
The fire started at around 6am in a Toyota in a private, secure car park under flats in Easter Road, just 20 metres from Hibs’ ground.
A source said he believed the fire was started deliberately.
“I think the bairns have been at it,” he said. “They tan a window or two, that gets them airflow, and put in a bit of lighter fluid.”
The blue and silver vehicle was a burnt-out wreck.
Two rear windows on the driver’s side had been smashed and the windows were coated with soot.
Inside, the seats were a charred mess of foam and metal, while the outside of the car was covered in ash.
A door leading to the carpark appeared to have been kicked in.
One resident, named only as Lesley, said: “I think the people that did this are scum. If my kids had been in here I’d have been up to 90.
“I feel sorry for the parents of the injured baby. There’s quite a few babies in here, twins and things.”
She added: “It’s not the first time something has been set fire to in there. The CCTV is supposed to work, but it doesn’t.
“It’s shocking that people keep coming in and setting fires. It’s a danger to the children and for their parents. There’s supposed to be surveillance but there’s not.”
“I got attacked in the car park here. It’s quite a problem.
A spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue said: “We attended a car alight in an underground car park in Hawkshill Close at 5.58am.
“We called an ambulance as a precautionary measure for a two-month-old baby suffering from smoke inhalation.
“Fire crews treated the child with oxygen at the scene but it was not taken to hospital.”
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