WATCH: CCTV shows arsonist strolling down street setting fire to bins
A father has spoken of the terrifying moment he woke up to find the hedge outside his house engulfed with fire after being targeted by an arsonist.
Rob Norman, of Highfields, in Stafford, heard banging on his door in the middle of the night.
When he looked out of his window he saw flames edging closer his home.
The 41-year-old music teacher and musician managed to get his children James, 16, and Sophie, 12, outside before the fire brigade arrived.
CCTV footage, recorded by a neighbour’s security cameras, shows a man deliberately setting alight a bin outside a separate house, moments before targeting the property in West Way.
WATCH the CCTV footage here:
Following the incident, the arsonist also torched another bin in nearby Dryden Crescent.
Mr Norman is appealing for the public to help police track down the culprit.
He said: “He endangered my children’s lives, as well as my own. That’s unforgivable – forget the damage that its caused. We’re still alive but it could have been a lot more serious.”
During the blaze, the hedge outside the property was decimated.
His two cars, a Chrysler people carrier and Renault Megane were also badly damaged – sparking fears the damages could cost Mr Norman thousands of pounds.
The incident unfolded at about 4.20am on Sunday.
He said: “I was in bed asleep. I could hear somebody knocking on the door and was thinking is this the postman or something?
“I looked out the window and there was somebody in next doors drive shouting up. All I could see was flames and the bushes were completely on fire.
“I thought what on earth has happened? Had I done something stupid like leaving the engine running on the car. But it was the hedge on fire not the car.
“I quickly jumped out of bed and got the kids up and then my son Jamie got my daughter Sophie outside.
“It was proper scary. We just knew that we needed to get out quickly. I think the cost is going to mount to thousands. We just need to wait and see what the insurance company says. It’s just a case of waiting.”
Mr Norman, who has lived in the property for a year, posted the footage on social media where it has been shared hundreds of times by people across Stafford and beyond.
Son James, a student at Sir Graham Balfour School,
said: I was shocked. All I saw was an orange glow, as if the whole house had been relocated to the depths of hell.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Staffordshire Police on 101.
