Publican tells of fire ‘devastation’

THE owner of a Glenrothes pub has told how he was met with a scene of “devastation” after a fire was started in the flat above.

Firefighters were called to the Woodside Inn on Woodside Way just after 7.30am yesterday.

The pub is largely unscathed with hopes it will be able to reopen for the weekend, but there is damage to the flat upstairs.

No one was hurt in the incident, which caused long tailbacks on nearby roads.

Police have confirmed the fire is being treated as deliberate.

George Stewart, who runs the pub, said: “It was just devastation when we arrived this morning.

“The bedroom in the flat above the pub has been badly damaged and there is some smoke damage within the rest of the flat.

“The pub itself is in no way damaged by the fire. There was some water in the toilets in the function room but we’ve been in and mopped that up.

“The main bar was untouched and may be able to reopen, but we obviously need to get the relevant safety checks to the gas and electrics.”

Police have urged anyone with information to come forward.