This is the moment a family's home and cars were set alight by masked machete-wielding arsonists in an unprovoked night-time attack.
asserted
home → set → attack
The husband and wife - who wish to remain anonymous - woke at around 3am on Thursday, October 1, to noises they believed to be their cat, Sandra, only to find the home they have lived in for six years being doused in flammable liquid.
The incident, which occurred in Broughty Ferry in Dundee, was captured on the couple's Ring doorbell, which revealed two unknown masked men setting their property ablaze before running away, one clutching a machete in his hand.
The attack, currently under investigation by Police Scotland, saw extensive fire damage to the home's front door and garden, a window smashed and the couple's two vehicles wrecked beyond repair.
asserted
vehicles → wish → repair
It has also left the couple - who have never experienced aggression in their neighbourhood before - fundraising to repair the damage, and fearful the arsonists will return to finish the job, or set alight more homes on the street.
asserted
arsonists → leave → street
The pair, who were luckily not injured in the attack, spoke exclusively to the Daily Mail about the events of that night - and the enduring damage inflicted by the thugs involved.
asserted
who → injure → thugs
'It was just a little past 3am when my wife woke up to a loud bang,' the husband said.
asserted
husband → wake → bang
'We didn't know what it was - I thought it was an animal outside, or our cat.
asserted
it → know → ?
'Then I got a notification on my phone from the doorbell app that said there was a person outside.
asserted
that → get → app
I clicked the notification and what I saw was like a scene from a horror film - men masked, gloved and hooded up.
asserted
saw → click → film
A family's Ring doorbell camera caught the moment masked machete-wielding arsonists attacked their home
The husband and wife - who wish to remain anonymous - were awoken at around 3am on Thursday, October 1, to noises they believed to be their cat
But instead they found the home they have lived in for six years being doused in flammable liquid
'
asserted
they → catch → liquid
I could see them holding what looked like a canister.
uncertain
what → see → canister
Instantly, I thought "they are trying to burn my house."
asserted
they → think → house
I then shouted to my wife to call the fire brigade and ran downstairs.'
asserted
I → shout → brigade
Disturbing Ring doorbell footage shows the moment of attack where the first man - dressed in a puffer jacket, tracksuit bottoms and donning a mask - approaches the home's front door holding a canister filled with a flammable liquid.
asserted
man → show → liquid
He is then seen pouring the liquid onto the front doorstep, before proceeding to douse it on the door, over the camera, and onto the doorstep once more.
asserted
He → see → doorstep
The man then walks out of view and a few seconds later is captured sprinting away from the property while the second man appears in the footage - holding a machete - and setting the home ablaze.
asserted
man → walk → home
A bright light then engulfs the camera footage as the property goes up in flames and the video cuts out.
asserted
video → engulf → flames
The 'malicious' nature of the attack, the couple said, is indisputable.
asserted
couple → say → attack
'When I got downstairs, everything was already on fire,' the husband said.
asserted
husband → get → fire
'I went outside the front and could see both of our cars also were on fire - I tried to hose the fire but it would not work properly.
uncertain
it → go → fire
It was then I could see the flames sneaking toward me.
uncertain
flames → see → me
At that point, a neighbour was outside and shouted at me to go into the house as she thought one of the cars could explode as the flames were so aggressive.
uncertain
flames → shout → cars
But at that stage the front door was ablaze - so I had to go around to the back of the property.
asserted
I → have → property
The exit of the house was soaked in accelerant.
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exit → soak → accelerant
And then I saw there was a window broken just where the staircase would usually be.
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staircase → see → ?
Thankfully, the fire brigade then arrived.'
asserted
brigade → arrive → ?
The couple's two cars - one of which was storing their wedding photographs - went up in flames during the attack
The couple's vehicles - damaged beyond repair - had to be removed from the driveway using a crane as they had fused to the tarmac
A window at the front of the house was smashed during the raid, which has since been boarded up
The couple - who have been married for just over one year - recalled being sat inside a fire service vehicle as they watched their home be engulfed by smoke and flames.
asserted
home → store → smoke
And, to add insult to injury, amid the chaos they realised their beloved cat, Sandra, was missing - with the stress of the situation leading them to assume the worst.
asserted
stress → add → worst
He said: 'We lost Sandra at the beginning of the fire.
asserted
We → say → fire
We thought the worst as there was glass everywhere downstairs.
asserted
We → think → worst
She's an indoor cat - we knew she would panic with the smells of burnt plastics and petrol.
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she → know → plastics
Thank goodness we found her.
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we → thank → her
She was shivering in a corner, hiding.'
asserted
She → shiver → corner
Luckily, the couple were also not physically injured in the fire - but say the mental impact of the devastation weighs heavily.
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impact → injure → devastation
'We are both really shaken up,' he said.
asserted
he → shake → ?
'For the first three nights after the attack, I didn't sleep at all.
asserted
I → sleep → attack
I was up 24/7, just looking at the camera, making sure there was nobody outside.
asserted
I → look → camera
We have been able to continue living in our home after having the broken window boarded up, but the effects of the fire are around us all the time.
asserted
effects → continue → us
We are also still trying to get on top of the fumes, as we couldn't breathe at night because of the smell.
asserted
we → try → smell
There was also a delay in the cars being removed from the driveway as we had to get cranes to lift them out as they had melted to the ground.
asserted
they → be → ground
'Our wedding pictures were also destroyed in the fire, as they were in the boot of the car at the time.
asserted
they → destroy → time
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
