Residents in a Kirkcaldy street say they are living in fear after learning a weekend house fire was started deliberately.
Police investigating the blaze at a bungalow in Link Street in the early hours of Sunday, confirmed on Wednesday they are treating the incident as suspicious.
Neighbours had to be evacuated as fire crews fought to stop the blaze from spreading to other properties.
The house suffered extensive damage to the roof and internally and it remains boarded up.
“It’s really shocking to think that someone went out of their way to do this,” said one neighbour, who asked not to be identified.
“We’ve never had any trouble in this street before so to have this on your door strep is frightening; people are very concerned right now.
“There was a lot of smoke and we were ordered to leave our house as a precaution as there was a fear the fire could spread so we just did as we were told.
“It’s fortunate that no one was injured in the attack.”
Another witness said: “You just don’t expect this sort of thing to happen in your street, it’s got the whole community talking about it.
“There’s a lot of rumours going around that the fire was caused by a petrol bomb.
“Whether that is true or not remains to be seen but the fact that the police have now confirmed that the house was deliberately targeted has got people round here very worried.
“There’s been no suggestion of any trouble at the house previously and the owner spends most of the time away, though she did come back yesterday to assess the damage but couldn’t get access to the house so left.”
Detective Sergeant Daryn Bryson from Kirkcaldy CID confirmed a criminal investigation had been launched, and added: “As part of our investigation we would be keen to hear from anyone who remembers seeing any suspicious activity in this area overnight.
“Likewise, anyone who believes they can help us trace those responsible, or who may have any residential CCTV or dash-cam footage, which may be of interest, should contact police immediately.”
Anyone with information is being asked to call Kirkcaldy CID on 101 quoting the incident number 0802 of September 15 2019.
Alternatively, an anonymous report can be made to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
