An Angus woman torched her home after a family dispute – then warned her neighbours to flee their home.
Suzanne Stewart set fire to her clothes in the bath and liquefied the tub at her Montrose home earlier this year.
Forfar Sheriff Court heard she had a change of heart and warned neighbours to get their “little one” to safety before attempting to douse the flames with a showerhead.
But the court heard this made the fire “10 times worse” and flooded the bathroom with noxious chemicals.
A sheriff told the 41-year-old that she was admitting a “very serious” indictment of wilful fire-raising in the ground-floor flat at Castle Street.
Depute Fiscal Eilidh Robertson said Stewart appeared on petition at Forfar on April 21, was granted bail at that time, and tendered a guilty plea on June 7.
She said the accused had previous convictions including theft and possession of drugs, all at summary level.
Ms Robertson said she had set the fire around 11pm after an argument with her son, but notified Scottish Fire and Rescue immediately when the fire “got out of hand”.
“By this stage the accused had raised the alarm with the neighbours,” she added.
“She calmly asked, ‘is the little one in? You better take her out because of the fire.’
“By then the bath had started to melt which released poisonous gas.
“She had put her clothes in the bath and set fire to them.
“She had tried to put out the fire with the shower, but that made it 10 times worse.”
Ms Robertson added that brigade watch commander Michael Cassey said the consequences of the fire could have been “much worse”.
The emergency service said two local engines attended and one hose reel was used along with four breathing apparatus and one thermal imaging camera.
The blaze was controlled by 11.56pm.
The court heard the fire caused £1,960 damage, which was paid for by the flat’s owner.
Deferring sentence to August 3 for the preparation of background reports, Sheriff Gregor Murray told Stewart: “As I’m sure you are aware, you have pled guilty to a very serious offence.”
Stewart, Castle Street, Montrose admitted wilfully raising a fire and causing damage to her home on January 21.
