A close-knit community has been left stunned after fire ripped through a house in Aberdour.
Shocked neighbours were left to survey the damage as dawn broke yesterday in St Fillans Crescent following the fierce blaze which tore through the two-storey property at around 8pm on Wednesday.
Mercifully no one was in the house at the time, but the fire – which is thought to have broken out on the first floor – was said to be well alight when Scottish Fire and Rescue Service personnel arrived on the scene.
Around 20 firefighters from four crews tackled the incident at its height, but much of the house was destroyed – with the roof collapsing in on itself at one point.
Witnesses suggested the blaze appeared to take hold quickly, with much of the first floor and roof “completely gone” within half an hour of the fire starting.
A spokesman for the Scottish Fire and Rescue said: “The alarm was raised at 8.01pm with four appliances dispatched from Lochgelly, Burntisland and Kirkcaldy stations to tackle the blaze.”
It is understood the occupants of the fire-hit property – two adults, a child and a dog – returned to their house not long after the alarm was raised to find the scene of devastation before them.
Police had set up a cordon in the street while emergency services worked to contain the damage, preventing access to vehicles and other members of the public, and it is thought no other houses in the quiet cul-de-sac were affected.
The fire was brought under control shortly before 10pm, although crews were still dampening down at the scene until around 1.15am, when the all-clear was given.
A full investigation into what caused the fire is to be carried out in due course, but there are understood to be no suspicious circumstances.
One of the house’s occupants was back at the house yesterday to see what, if anything, could be salvaged.
She did not wish to speak.
