A Fife man was found dead in his flat yesterday after firefighters battered down his door.
The man, known to his neighbours as John, was 51 years old and lived alone at the ground-floor property in Quality Street, Dysart.
His body was discovered by a fire crew who had been called out to tackle what was described as a small fire in the bedroom of the flat shortly after 3am.
Fife Constabulary is investigating the death but said early indications suggested there were no suspicious circumstances.
About an hour before the tragedy, a neighbour called police to say there was a bad smell in the block. However, it is understood Fife Constabulary did not alert Fife Fire and Rescue Service because the source of the smell was unknown.
At 3.11am the fire service was alerted to the smell of smoke in a neighbouring flat and two appliances from Kirkcaldy rushed to the scene. On arrival, firefighters realised the smoke was coming from the ground floor.
Chief fire officer Neil McFarlane said: “We’ve got a working arrangement with police and ambulance where if there is a threat of fire they would alert us.
“We have no prior knowledge of any phone calls about any situation before the phone call received at 3.11am this morning.”
A spokesman for Fife Constabulary said: “Fife Constabulary was called to a fire in Dysart at 3.30am on Friday March 1 in response to a request from Fife Fire and Rescue Service. This was the first call we received to a fire in the area.
“Inquiries are ongoing into the circumstances surrounding the fire, in which a man was tragically found dead, and we are appealing for anyone who has any information to contact the police on 101 or through Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
“Initial inquiries reveal that this death is not being treated as suspicious and a report detailing the full circumstances will be submitted to the procurator fiscal.”
People living nearby described the man as a quiet person.
Neighbour Sandra Allan (45) said: “I just saw him in passing. I would ask how he was doing, and he’d always say ‘all right’. He was a quiet guy who kept himself to himself.
“He never gave anybody any bother. I think he had lived there for seven or eight years. He had a twin sister.”
She added: “My daughter woke up at the back of three and said there were fire engines outside. The couple who live a couple of doors down from me were actually quite upset. They asked me to go into the kitchen. The smell was horrendous.
Another neighbour said: “He kept to himself. I’ve been in here 10 years and I never even knew his name. I just feel it’s sad.”