Newly-refurbished bungalow destroyed after blaze breaks out

FIRE: Home in Fife village left gutted by inferno while owner out at work

The fire service were here within five minutes. The roof was down within half an hour. BARRY BRAID

A fire has gutted a house in Coaltown of Balgonie.

The alarm was raised after smoke was seen coming from the bungalow in Main Street yesterday morning.

According to a witness who raised the alarm the roof was destroyed within half an hour.

The owner of the house, who was out at work when the fire started, did not want to speak about the incident.

Nobody was injured, however, a woman in her eighties and her dog had to be led to safety from the neighbouring house, which has also suffered damage.

The alarm was raised at around 10.30am by Barry Braid, 41, who works at Balgonie Motors, which is across the road.

He said: “I’d just come out because one of our suppliers was dropping parts off.

“I came out and noticed a little bit of smoke so I phoned the fire service. The fire service were here within five minutes. The roof was down within half an hour.”

Mr Braid and a woman who lives in the street knocked on the door of the elderly neighbour and helped her, and her pet dog, out of the house.

“We let her sit in the garage and we managed to get hold of her son,” Mr Braid added. “She was a little bit shaken.”

The woman’s son, who did not want to be named, said: “Nobody knows anything at the minute.

“I’m just waiting to get in to see what the damage is.”

The roof of the house where the fire started collapsed and the property was left gutted.

The bungalow had recently undergone extensive refurbishment, including work on the roof which had just been completed.

At around lunchtime, a height appliance was brought in so firefighters could dampen down the building from above. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said a total of 20 firefighters had tackled the blaze.

A stretch of Main Street was closed off while crews worked and police diverted traffic from the scene.

Picture: Gareth Jennings. Firefighters mop up after the blaze broke out in a bungalow on Main Street in Coaltown of Balgonie.