Two men were killed instantly in a crash in Leven in the early hours of Friday morning.
Daniel Allardyce, 29, and Terence Thornber, 27, both from the town, were pronounced dead at the scene of the incident in Barron Terrace after the vehicle they were travelling in ploughed into a building.
Police, fire crews and paramedics rushed to reports of the crash on the Windygates Road, shortly after 3am to be confronted by what one resident said was a scene of “utter devastation”.
It is understood a white Golf GTI travelling in the direction of Letham Glen, hit a parked BMW vehicle on the opposite side of the road before mounting the pavement, destroying a garden fence and then crashing into the property causing it to partially collapse.
Mr Allardyce and Mr Thornber were both well-known in the community for their work in the hospitality industry.
Mr Allardyce, who worked as a barman at the Agenda pub nearby, was described by many as “the life and soul of the party”, while heartfelt tributes were also being paid to Mr Thornber on social media last night.
Colleagues of the pair were said to be “devastated” by the news and a number of local pubs and restaurants – such as Agenda, Base, Macphails and the Sunbeam Inn – all closed on Friday as a mark of respect.
A number of other vehicles were damaged in the incident and a window of one house was also smashed by debris from the impact.
Sergeant Nicola Young, leading the investigation, said: “Sadly we can now confirm that there have been two fatalities and that next of kin have been informed.
“We are still trying to ascertain how many vehicles were involved but we are not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident.
“As you can appreciate, the investigation is at a very early stage and we would appeal to anyone who witnessed the accident or saw a white Golf GTI being driven in the area prior to the incident to contact police.”
Fire crews attempted to free the two men from the vehicle but a spokesperson for Police Scotland later confirmed that, the two males, aged 27 and 29, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Jean Jeffery, who lives next door to the building which was struck, said she was woken by a ” loud explosion”.
She added: “When I went outside to see what had happened I couldn’t believe my eyes.
“It was utter devastation and looked as if a bomb had gone off.
“Debris was strewn across and right along the road.
“The car has completely destroyed our front fence and the debis has smashed my neighbour’s front window.
“Both of our cars, which were parked on the drive have also been damaged.”
Another, who asked not to be identified, said the severity of the accident had shocked locals but added that there was a common feeling amongst some residents that motorist drove too fast on the stretch of road.
They said: “It’s tragic to hear that two people have been killed and more now needs to be done to slow motorists down.
“There are concerns locally that the road, which is long, straight, downhill and with no traffic calming measures, is an attraction for those wanting to drive at high speed.”
Due to the extensive of damage to the building, which is owned by the adjoining Lamberts Garage, the road remained closed throughout the day and into the evening, to allow for an emergency inspection by surveyors.