Residents in the Merkinch have been left “scared and shaken” after a house fire in Inverness.
One neighbour has revealed they heard a man shouting a death threat ahead of the blaze which broke out yesterday evening.
Multiple fire engines and police vehicles were called to Wyvis Place and Ord Terrace after 6pm on Monday, February 24.
Firefighters battled the blaze for more than two hours while officers cordoned off the street.
Police have opened an investigation after confirming they are treating the fire as “wilful.”
Several officers remain outside the property while others do door-to-door inquiries.
Man said ‘I’m going to kill you’ before Inverness house fire
The Press and Journal spoke to Wyvis Place neighbours on Tuesday morning.
A neighbour said she thinks the fire was “intentional”.
She explained: “Around 6pm, a guy came and started banging the door and said: ‘I’m going to kill you’.
“My husband knocked on his door to alert him, but he wasn’t inside.
“Then, 30 minutes later, we heard a window being smashed and then the fire started.”
The resident continued: “It’s usually quiet here he’s the one that’s the noisiest.
“We’ve heard some arguments in the past but obviously nothing like this before.
“My husband called the firefighters, and they were very fast, they got here around 6:45pm.”
Wyvis Place neighbours left ‘shaky’ after fire
Another resident said she started “smelling smoke” after coming down to the kitchen.
She said: “I never heard anything, but I saw smoke coming all this way.
“Then the firefighters were here.
“I was kinda shaky. It was scary.
“Sometimes these things happen here but I keep myself to myself.
“I could still smell it this morning. I’m still a bit shaky”
Police are treating Merkinch house fire as ‘wilful’
A police spokesperson said: “Around 7pm on Monday, 24 February, 2025, we were called to a report of a fire at a property on Wyvis Place, Inverness.
“Emergency services attended and the fire was put out by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. No one was injured.
“The fire is being treated as wilful and enquiries are ongoing.”
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