Masked men armed with a machete torched a family’s home and cars in what police are investigating as an unprovoked overnight arson attack.
The husband and wife, who have asked not to be named, woke at about 3am on Thursday, October 1, after hearing sounds they initially believed were coming from their cat, Sandra. Instead, they discovered that the Broughty Ferry property they had lived in for six years was being doused with an accelerant.
Footage from the couple’s Ring doorbell in Broughty Ferry, Dundee, shows two masked men setting the property alight before fleeing. One of the attackers was carrying what appeared to be a machete.
Police Scotland is investigating the attack, which caused extensive fire damage to the front door and garden. A window was smashed, while both of the couple’s vehicles were left beyond repair.
The couple, who say they had never faced hostility in the area before, are now raising money to repair the damage and living in fear that the attackers could return to complete the attack or target other homes nearby.
Neither victim was injured, but both say the ordeal has caused lasting emotional distress. They spoke exclusively to the Daily Mail about the terrifying attack and its continuing impact.
‘It was shortly after 3am when my wife woke to a loud bang,’ the husband said. ‘At first, we had no idea what it was. I thought it might have been an animal outside, or perhaps our cat.
‘Then my phone alerted me through the doorbell app that someone was outside. I opened the notification and saw something that looked like it belonged in a horror film – men wearing masks, gloves and hoods.
The family’s Ring doorbell recorded masked, machete-wielding arsonists attacking their home
The husband and wife, who have remained anonymous, were woken by noises at around 3am on Thursday, October 1
They soon realised that the property they had lived in for six years was being covered in flammable liquid
‘One of them appeared to be carrying a canister. I immediately realised they were trying to burn the house down. I shouted to my wife to call the fire brigade, then ran downstairs.’
The disturbing Ring doorbell recording begins with a man in a puffer jacket, tracksuit bottoms and a face covering approaching the front door. In his hand is a canister believed to contain flammable liquid.
He pours the liquid across the doorstep, then sprays more over the door and directly onto the camera before dousing the entrance again.
The first attacker moves out of view. Seconds later, he is seen running from the property as a second masked man enters the frame, carrying a machete and setting the house on fire.
A sudden burst of bright light fills the footage as flames engulf the property, bringing the recording to an abrupt end.
The couple said the deliberate and calculated nature of the attack was beyond dispute.
‘By the time I reached the ground floor, everything was already burning,’ the husband said. ‘I went out the front and saw that both our cars were on fire as well. I tried to use the hose, but it was not working properly, and the flames began moving towards me.
‘A neighbour came outside and told me to get back indoors because she feared one of the cars might explode. The flames were so fierce. But the front door was already ablaze, so I had to make my way around to the rear of the house.
‘The exit was covered in accelerant. Then I noticed that a window beside where the staircase normally is had been smashed. Thankfully, the fire brigade arrived soon afterwards.’
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.
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.
He said: ‘We lost Sandra at the beginning of the fire. We thought the worst as there was glass everywhere downstairs. She’s an indoor cat – we knew she would panic with the smells of burnt plastics and petrol.
‘Thank goodness we found her. She was shivering in a corner, hiding.’
Luckily, the couple were also not physically injured in the fire – but say the mental impact of the devastation weighs heavily.
‘We are both really shaken up,’ he said. ‘For the first three nights after the attack, I didn’t sleep at all. I was up 24/7, just looking at the camera, making sure there was nobody outside.
‘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.
‘We are also still trying to get on top of the fumes, as we couldn’t breathe at night because of the 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.
‘Our wedding pictures were also destroyed in the fire, as they were in the boot of the car at the time. So that is all gone.’
What motivated the attack remains unknown – with police not yet able to trace who the arsonists are and no arrests made.
Despite this, the couple said they are reluctant to move from the property – and do feel safe living in Dundee.
Both cars were ablaze by the time the couple realised their home had been attacked by the masked thugs
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help the couple rebuild after the fire, including aiding toward the cost of new cars
The couple’s cat, Sandra, went missing amid the chaos of the fire but luckily, was found safe
He said: ‘I have lived here for years. I like my neighbours and I have good rapport with them. I don’t see any reason why I should be kicked out of my own house, regardless of the motives.’
To help the couple rebuild, a GoFundMe has been set up by a close family member to aid in raising costs for the remainder of the clean-up effort, new cars and replacing the broken window.
‘Financially, this is a huge hit,’ they added. ‘There has been fire damage everywhere. It all adds up – I don’t think anyone is really ready for something like this to happen to them.’
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: ‘Around 3.15am on Thursday, 1 October, 2026, officers received a report of a vehicle fire and damage to a property in Broughty Ferry.
‘There were no reports of any injuries. The fire is being treated as wilful and enquiries are ongoing.’