Firefighters attacked with bricks and bottles while tackling blaze

A fire crew was forced to withdraw from a fire in West Lothian on Monday after being attacked by a ‘group of youths’.

Search launched after bricks and bottles thrown at Scottish Fire and Rescue Service crew in Harthill Road, Fauldhouse — Attack: A fire crew came under attack while extinguishing a fire in Fauldhouse. iStock

23rd Mar 2022

A search has been launched for a group of youths who threw bricks and bottles at firefighters who were tackling a blaze in West Lothian.

A crew from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service were forced to withdraw from extinguishing a blaze on Harthill Road, Fauldhouse, at around 6.30pm on Monday due to the attack.

They were forced to call police for assistance before extinguishing the fire.

No emergency workers were injured during the incident, and a search has now been launched for those responsible.

Steven Michie, SFRS group commander, has condemned the attack that he says is “completely unacceptable”.

He said: “I would like to stress that this behaviour – by a very small minority of individuals – is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

“Wherever possible we will identify those responsible and pass that information to our police partners.

“This can have serious consequences for those involved. It can even affect future employment prospects due to having a criminal record.

“Fortunately, there were no injuries to firefighters or damage to the fire engine in attendance at this incident.

“But this type of behaviour cannot be condoned, and we would urge the majority of law-abiding residents to alert the police to any such reckless activity.

“Young people can also provide information anonymously via the Fearless Crimestoppers website.”