A drunk firebug began a £20,000 blaze at a Scots college which threatened to unfold to close by cylinders of explosive butane gasoline.
Jonathan Brown, from Edinburgh, set mild to a storage space at Queen Margaret College after getting off a bus at its campus in Musselburgh, East Lothian.
Brown, 33, was noticed on CCTV working from the scene within the moments earlier than the flames took maintain.
Edinburgh Sheriff Courtroom heard there have been 18 cylinders of butane, carbon dioxide and helium within the space, a few of which might’ve exploded if uncovered to extreme warmth.
Brown appeared on the courtroom on Tuesday and admitted a cost of wilful fireraising.
Fiscal depute Jennifer McLaren stated Brown received off a bus on the campus terminal at round 11.47pm. He was seen on cameras strolling round whereas smoking and ingesting from a can.
Ms McLaren stated the accused was noticed “shifting forwards and backwards between the bus cease and a close-by storage room”.
She stated Brown might be noticed shifting two cylinders from the storage room to the facet of the constructing.
The courtroom heard he “stayed on this space for a big time” earlier than working away at 1.44am when a hearth alarm activated.
Ms McLaren stated flames shortly took maintain within the storage space, which was beneath a principal stairwell, and firefighters arrived at 2.10am.
Firefighters took quarter-hour to realize management of the blaze and smoke triggered injury to different components of the college.
Ms McLaren stated there 18 gasoline cylinders within the space “which, if uncovered to extended and extreme warmth, might have made the fireplace way more vital”.
She added Brown handed himself right into a police station the day after the fireplace, which befell on July 5 2020.
The courtroom heard CCTV from that night confirmed Brown “below the affect” and that he’d fallen asleep on the bus, solely waking up because it reached the campus.
The injury triggered was estimated at £20,000, Ms McLaren stated, and a hearth investigation discovered it was doubtlessly began with a unadorned flame utilized to dry leaves.
Defence agent Lesley Cunningham stated her shopper had no reference to the college.
Sheriff Alistair Noble stated he was “involved with the motion of the cylinders” though they “don’t seem to have exploded”.
He deferred sentence on Brown, of town’s Gorgie space, till subsequent month for studies.
Do not miss the most recent information from round Scotland and past - Signal as much as our every day e-newsletter right here.