THREE suspected malicious fires swept across Erskine, igniting warnings against the dangers of fire starting.

Engines were called out on two separate occasions to tackle grass and bush fires.

On Tuesday, May 10, at 7.15pm, Renfrew fire engines were called to a grass fire at Burnhaven.

The team arrived on the scene within six minutes and quickly extinguished the flames.

There was a separate grass fire at Portessy the same night, which a crew from Clydebank fire station responded to at around 8.25pm.

They reached the scene within eight minutes and quickly put the fire out before leaving shortly after 9pm.

On Sunday the fire services received a call at 8.55pm reporting a fire involving bushes at Bargarran Road.

A crew from Clydebank arrived within seven minutes and extinguished the fire before leaving five minutes later.

A Scottish Fire Services spokesman has warned arsonists that those who deliberately set fires need to know that their actions could have tragic consequences.

He said: "Even a small fire involving grass and rubbish will produce toxic smoke that pollutes the local atmosphere and endangers people with breathing conditions "Small fires can rapidly grow to threaten homes and businesses and those who start them have no idea of what the consequences could be.

"Even if a fire stays small it will require at least one crew to put it out and if a serious emergency happens elsewhere that means that firefighters would have to be sent from further afield "If someone is trapped in a house fire or in a serious road traffic collision it is essential that fire fighters can reach them as quickly as possible.

"Deliberate fires and needless fires risk delays and endanger the community."