Cowdenbeath residents who fled after a gas leak in the centre of the town have described the frightening incident.
The leak was discovered shortly after 8.30pm on Sunday night in the area around Central Park, home to Cowdenbeath FC.
Around 30 homeowners sought shelter in a community centre while others decamped to the homes of nearby families and friends.
A 100-metre exclusion zone was set up around the scene of the leak which was within the grounds of Central Park football ground.
The Big Kid Circus had been performing at Central Park for a six-day stint as part of a tenth anniversary tour Sunday was to be their final performance.
As a precautionary measure, residents on Rowan Terrace and Chapel Street were evacuated and an emergency rest centre was set up in Broad Street Community Centre.
Isabelle Bathgate, 51, of Rowan Terrace, and her pet labrador Kasey were among those who were evacuated to the community centre.
She said: “The gas was absolutely stinking. You saw it blowing up into the air as you could see all the dust flying across into the field.
“There were about 30 people in the community centre. I didn’t get home until around about 3.30am.”
The incident meant Brenda Rowan, who works for Royal Mail, could not attend her work. She said: “I was lucky as I had my son not far up the road. I usually get up at 4.45am for my work but I lost a shift because of this.”
Fellow Rowan Terrace resident David McKay, his wife Mary and two sons James and Norman, were also able to find residence at a family house in Cowdenbeath.
David said: “A policeman came to our door and told us we had to evacuate because of a very bad gas leak in the football park.
“It was the circus that reported it. They were packing up at the time when they smelled it.
“I didn’t smell it when I was in the house but when I opened the door the place was stinking.
“Both ends of the street were blocked off by police and the parks were all taped off and nobody could get through them.”
Four fire service appliances and a support appliance rushed to the scene. While Transco engineers worked, the fire service provided safety cover for the workers.
Fife Council’s emergency planning team worked alongside emergency services to deal with the problem.
Team manager Lori Hutcheson said: “The duty emergency planning officer worked with colleagues in the fire service, Police Scotland and Scottish Gas last night during the incident.
“A rest centre was set up quickly for residents as a precautionary measure until the gas leak was dealt with by Scottish Gas.”
Thanking locals for their patience and co-operation during the incident, she also praised council staff who turned out to run the rest centre during the night.
A spokeswoman for Scotland Gas Networks said it was a leak in a medium pressure gas main so it had been very important to evacuate locals.
She apologised for any inconvenience caused, but reiterated in these circumstances safety was paramount.
“By 3am the temporary repair had been made and we were able to get the people back into their properties,” she added.
Photo by David Wardle