The fire-ravaged Lundin Links Hotel in Fife has been branded a “disaster waiting to happen” after the building was gutted in a blaze lasting 17 hours.
The abandoned hotel was destroyed in the fire, which started on Thursday night and ripped through the C-Listed building.
Firefighters remain on the scene on Friday afternoon, dampening the building and carrying out inspections.
Work is ongoing to make the area safe but is is thought the hotel will have to be demolished.
Nobody was injured in the fire.
Lundin Links Hotel closed in 2014 and soon became a magnet for firebugs and vandals.
Earlier this year Fife Council went to court for permission to secure the building, after years of inaction by owners.
Last month liquidators were appointed to wind up developer and current Kapital Residential, who planned to turn the Tudor-style structure into flats.
Empty Lundin Links Hotel branded ‘disaster waiting to happen’
Work is ongoing to make the area safe and to assess the damage, including the collapsed roof.
Colin Davidson, councillor for Leven, Kennoway and Largo and convener of the Levenmouth area committee, said the building has attracted anti-social behaviour for a number of years.
He said: “We [Fife Council] have been proactive working with local residents and trying to address their concerns, but this was a disaster that was waiting to happen.
“A number of people have entered the building illegally and there had been a couple of incidents before that had caused this concern including a fire.”
“I’ve been involved in this issue for over six years and there have been a number of concerns about the building and the state it is in.”
The priority is to make the building safe and get it demolished
Police have made the A915 between Cupar Road in Leven and Upper Largo local access only, along with putting in a long-term diversion via Cupar Road and the A916.
Emsdorf Street, around the back of the former hotel, is limited to pedestrian access only.
Buses were also disrupted on Friday morning.
Due to the fire on Leven Road in Lundin Links on Thurs, 18 Aug, the following is in place:
The A915 will be local access only between Cupar Road in Leven and Upper Largo, with long-term diversions in place via Cupar Road and the A916
Emsdorf Street is pedestrian access only. pic.twitter.com/yrmgcXpGjY
— Fife Police (@FifePolice) August 19, 2022
Mr Davidson said: “The main priority is to get the building safe and get it taken down, because right now it’s very unsafe.
“We need to get the main road open again – the A915 is a main artery to the East Neuk and we’re still in the middle of the tourist season.
“The priority is to make the building safe and get it demolished.”
Iain Bayne, who lives just 30 yards from the hotel, has been forced to evacuate his home.
He said: “It was quite a spectacle but at the same time very worrying and I was quite frightened.
“I was asked to evacuate my house and I’ve had no update for when I can get back in.
“I saw the fire start from the top floor of the hotel and you just knew that the tower was going to go.
“There have been a number of fires at the site but nothing of this magnitude.”
Mr Davidson also thanked firefighters who worked throughout the night.
“We have had 40 firemen here all night in what is a very dangerous situation and they have performed amazingly well,” he said.
“There has also been a big response from the village – local shops have put on food for the firemen and we will continue to look after them.”
North East Fife MP Wendy Chamberlain criticised the owners for their lack of action before the fire, calling it an “unacceptable danger”.
She said: “The serious fire at the Lundin Links Hotel was a major escalation of the situation at the site.
“Since the building fell into disrepair local people had been warning that it was a fire hazard.
“It was therefore immensely frustrating that the owners took no steps to make it safe and Fife Council had to go to court in order to secure the building.”
“These fears have unfortunately proved entirely accurate.
“While we can be thankful that it seems no one was hurt and the fire did not spread, the local community has been subjected to an unacceptable danger, as well as the disruption associated with responding to the fire.”
Middlebrooks, Kapital Residential’s liquidators, was unable to comment at this stage.
VIDEO: Blaze at Fife’s Lundin Links Hotel ravaged listed building for 17 hours
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