A woman has been charged with setting her own home on fire after a blaze engulfed her property on the outskirts of Buckie.
Carol Stewart appeared in private at Elgin Sheriff Court yesterday accused of wilful fire raising and behaving in a threatening or abusive manner.
The 56-year-old is alleged to have started the blaze which broke out at her bungalow on Bin View Terrace at Enzie, just off the A98 road between Buckie and Fochabers, at 4.30am on Sunday morning.
The fire raged through the property, leaving it badly blackened.
The heat inside caused its front windows to burst and firefighters spent an hour getting the flames under control.
The door and front windows have since been boarded up after fire investigators spent Sunday scouring the premises.
There remain piles of charred debris piled up on the lawn.
Yesterday, police confirmed they had charged Stewart after taking her away from the scene.
A spokeswoman said: “We can confirm that a 56-year-old woman has been charged in connection with an alleged wilful fireraising in the Binview Terrace area of Portgordon on Sunday.”
Stewart, of no fixed abode, made no plea when she appeared on petition yesterday afternoon. She was released on bail.
She is expected to appear in court again within a week.
Last night neighbours along the street spoke of the drama that took place at the weekend.
Frank Shearer, who described himself as a “light sleeper”, said he was woken by the noise and phoned the fire brigade.
He said: “The fire seemed to be concentrated in the lobby, and I could see the flames in the room at the front of the house.
“It was just ablaze, and there is still a smell of smoke along the street.”
Families huddled in a nearby bus shelter as fire crews tackled the flames which was “well developed” by the time they arrived.
An ambulance was called to the scene but it quickly became apparent it was not needed.
Police then visited people along the short street asking to check their lofts to see whether the fire had spread.
Another Bin View Terrace resident added: “It was concerning, as soon as the police knocked at my door the first thing I asked was whether anybody had been hurt.
“Thankfully, the answer was no.”
A fire service spokeswoman confirmed that crews were called to the house at 4.24am on Sunday morning.
She added: “The fire was on the ground floor of a 32ft by 16ft house.
“We used breathing apparatus, a hose-reel jet and a jet to extinguish the fire.
“Police and ambulance also attended and the stop message came through at 5.20am.”
Firefighters spent a further two hours dampening down the property to ensure the fire did not spark up again.
Fochabers Lhanbryde councillor, Shona Morrison, said: “The houses at Bin View Terrace are very close to each other, this could have been devastating.”