Boy charged over derelict Edinburgh school blaze
A 14-year-old boy has been charged in connection with a blaze at a derelict Edinburgh school during which eight hoses were slashed.
More than 50 firefighters were tackling the fire at the Old Craigroyston High School, in Muirhouse, when the vandalism occurred.
A fire officer also returned to his car to find all his tyres had been slashed.
Lothian and Borders Police said they wanted to trace other suspects in connection with the hose slashing.
At the height of the blaze, 10 fire appliances were at the scene.
Michael Lindsay, 31, a council worker from Muirhouse who is a former pupil of the school, told the BBC Scotland news website he could see the smoke in the sky and smell the fire from his home.
He added: "When I went down to the rear school gates I could see 30ft flames coming out of the old science block roof and I could see the roof was caving in.
"It was a dramatic sight. There were a lot of fire engines and about 100 residents were stood at the gates watching while others were watching from their balconies."
Insp Sandy Boyd, of Lothian and Borders Police, said: "The fire and the subsequent damage to the hoses are quite simply mindless acts of vandalism, which required significant resources from the fire service and the police.
"We are keen to speak to anyone who has any information that can help us track down those responsible, and I would urge people to get in touch with us if they saw anyone acting suspiciously in the area of old Craigroyston High School before the fire broke out."