Police remain on the scene after a deliberate fire in Glenrothes.
Firefighters spent the whole evening extinguishing a blaze in garages on Hill View, off Falcon Drive.
Four appliances attended after the alert was raised just after 9.10pm on Monday.
Fire crews didn’t leave the area until Tuesday at 6.15am – when it was made safe.
Police are treating the fire as deliberate and have launched a probe.
Police presence after fire in Glenrothes
By Tuesday morning, a large police cordon had been erected around the garages.
Police tape is also in place by the Boblingen Way footpath.
The row of 13 garages has been completely obliterated and two burnt-out cars are visible at the scene.
Residents say they called the fire service just after 9pm.
They estimate it took between 10 and 15 minutes for firefighters to arrive.
Samantha Martin, whose car has burnt to a shell by the fire, added: “It’s awful, why would anyone do this to someone’s personal property?
“I’ve been here for 30 years and never known anything like this.
“My car’s just a shell; like the others, it’s been destroyed.”
Sound of ‘fireworks’ alerted residents to incident
Resident Mikaela Martin added: “I thought it could hear a banging noise just before 9pm.
“The next thing a passing runner knocked on the door to tell us the garages were up.
“Stepping outside the whole row was up, the plumes of smoke were higher than the houses.”
Another Hill View resident added: “I called the fire brigade just after 9pm when I could see the flames leaping from the garages.
“There was billows of black smoke and some of the trees were up as well.
“Thankfully the fire didn’t spread to the homes and everyone is okay.”
Another neighbour on the street said: “I was first alerted to the fire when I heard what sounded like fireworks outside.
“When I first looked there were no flames but huge plumes of smoke.
“The next thing there was a bit of orange then the whole thing went up.
“All 13 garages have been completely gutted.”
Police probe ‘wilful’ fire
A spokesperson for Scottish Fire and Rescue Service told The Courier: “We were alerted at 9.11pm on Monday, July 8, to reports of a garage on fire on Hill View in Glenrothes.
“Operations control mobilised four fire appliances to the scene, with crews extinguishing the fire.
“There were no casualties, and crews left the scene after ensuring the area was made safe.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 9.30pm on Monday, 8 July, 2024 officers were called to a fire at a premises on Hill View, Glenrothes.
“The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service extinguished the fire and no one was injured.
“The fire is being treated as wilful and enquiries remain ongoing.”
Caravan wreckage in car park after second Glenrothes fire on same night
Later on Monday night, fire crews were called to a caravan fire at the Collydean Local store car park in Piper Drive.
Social media footage shows firefighters trying to bring the blaze under control at around 11pm.
On Tuesday morning, the remnants of the burnt-out and collapsed caravan remained in the car park.
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 10.47pm on Monday, July 8, to reports of a caravan on fire near Piper Drive in Glenrothes.
“Operations control mobilised two fire appliances to the scene, with crews extinguishing the fire.
“There were no casualties, and crews left the scene after ensuring the area was made safe.”
The two incidents are not thought to be linked.
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