Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Van left as black shell after ‘fireball’ blaze in Cowdenbeath

Pictures show what remains of the vehicle after it was engulfed in flames.

The van was engulfed by flames.
The van engulfed in flames. Image: Jammer Locations / FJL services

A fire, described by onlookers as a ‘fireball’ has destroyed a van in Cowdenbeath.

Firefighters were called to Factory Road shortly after 6.30pm on Saturday after reports of a vehicle “well alight”.

One appliance from Lochgelly station was dispatched to the scene at the site of the former Fife Council social security office.

A resident who witnessed the blaze said she was first aware of the fire due to the smell of burning plastic.

The burnt out van in Cowdenbeath.
The burnt out van in Cowdenbeath. Image: Neil Henderson/ DC Thomson
The van was destroyed by the fire.
The van was destroyed by the fire. Image: Neil Henderson/ DC Thomson

She said: “I was in the back garden and could suddenly smell this awful burning plastic-type smell.

‘Flames were shooting out of the back of the van’

“I looked up and immediately saw thick black smoke bellowing from a van parked on ground a short distance away.

“The van was already well alight with flames shooting out of the back of the van.

“The fire just kept on getting more and more ferocious.

“It was like a fireball and smoke was pouring out of the doors.”

Another Factory Road resident said he returned home to see firefighters already tackling the blaze.

Another image of the damage caused by the fire.
Another image of the damage caused by the fire. Image: Neil Henderson/ DC Thomson
The gutted van.
Another image of the damage caused by the fire. Image: Neil Henderson/ DC Thomson

He said: “I was surprised by how much smoke there was coming from the van.

“The firefighters wasted no time putting it out.”

The van was destroyed by the fire.

A spokesperson for Scottish Fire and Rescue Services said: “We received an alert at 6.39pm to a medium-sized van on fire close to Factory Road in Cowdenbeath.

“One appliance was sent from Lochgelly station and on arrival officers found the van to be well alight.

“The fire was extinguished and crews left the scene at 7.15pm

“There were no reported injuries from the incident.”

Police have been contacted for comment.

Meanwhile, in Dunblane, firefighters were dispatched after a car burst into flames close to the town’s Tesco supermarket.

Conversation