Extensive damage has been done to a Fife pier after a boat shed went up in flames in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Residents in Kinghorn’s Pettycur Road were woken by the sound of explosions shortly after 1am and were shocked to see a huge fire engulfing one of the workshops nearby.
Seven people from four houses on Pettycur Road had to be evacuated as the fire took hold, and they spent a number of hours with neighbours.
Fortunately no-one was injured, and four crews from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service brought the incident under control.
It is not yet known what caused the blaze, but thousands of pounds worth of damage is understood to have been done to the pier – with three boats, a vehicle and a workshop and container among the property said to be destroyed.
One eyewitness, who did not want to be named, told The Courier of the moment the alarm was raised.
“It must have been about 1am when I woke up to what I initially thought were gunshots,” he said.
“They were just loud bangs which sounded like gunfire, but obviously it must have been pots of paint or something exploding in the heat.
“I looked out the window and just saw these flames as high as the houses. They must have been about 30 feet in the air – it was incredible.
“I just called the police and the fire service and a few of us went down to knock on the doors of neighbours who were down there, as we didn’t know if they were in or had been woken up.
“The fire brigade arrived in about five or 10 minutes and set about trying to get it under control.
“The firefighters were great and asked everybody who lived nearby to vacate their homes, but it was quite the awakening at that time of the morning.”
It is understood the small pier affected is owned by a Kinghorn native who has been informed.
The witness added: “That’s the real sad thing – it looks like someone’s business is completely gone overnight.”
A spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said it first received reports at 1.11am and sent two crews, one from Burntisland and one from Kirkcaldy, to the scene.
However, once the scale of the incident became clear, a second appliance from Kirkcaldy and another from Lochgelly were also called upon.
Firefighters evacuated the properties closest to the scene and set up a cordon with the assistance of officers from Police Scotland.
The fire was brought under control by around 3.30am and residents were allowed back to their homes.
The fire service spokesperson added that the stop message came through at 3.59am, although one appliance was on site on Sunday morning to monitor for hot spots.
A full investigation is expected to be carried out in due course.