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Scottish town in chaos as firebomb thugs torch garages and cars over two nights
Thugs sparked two nights of mayhem in a Scottish town after torching garages, cars and a caravan.
Police and fire crews were called to multiple blazes in Glenrothes. Feral yobs started fires that saw officers called to Balbirnie car park in the early hours of Sunday morning, reports the Daily Record.
A burning car was found dumped with the windows blown out. Fire crews were also called to a housing estate in Hill View, after a row of 13 residential garages went up in flames.
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Shocking video footage showed the raging inferno burning through the private units. Huge flames could be seen shooting into the sky above homes.
It is understood a number of cars were destroyed in the fire.
Eyewitness Terri Gauld said: “It was a huge explosion. A few cars were destroyed in the fire. Our shed roofs are all asbestos down here.”
Mikaela Martin, whose family’s garage was targeted in the fire said: “My parents and I are absolutely devastated. People not only use garages for cars but for storage and irreplaceable items.”
Less than an hour later, crews were called to a second blaze after a caravan caught fire in the town’s Collydean Way at around 10.47pm. SFRS teams battled the flames for under an hour before the fire was extinguished.
Pictures from the scene show the motorhome engulfed in a fireball. A third blaze was also reported near an Indian restaurant in the town.
Police Scotland confirmed the car and garage incidents are being treated as deliberate but are not believed to be linked. There were no reported injuries during any of the fires. No arrests have been made.
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Local residents likened the carnage to a “war zone” as the night unfolded. Rosie Cartwright said: “Three fires in Glenrothes in one night. The place is turning into a war zone.”
Tammy Seath added: “It seems like there’s an arsonist going around tonight… I hope everyone is safe.”
Third resident Steph Kelly said: “Fires are extremely dangerous, they destroy lives in a matter of seconds.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “At 9.30pm on Monday, 8 July, 2024 officers were called to a fire at a premises on Hill View, Glenrothes. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service extinguished the fire and no one was injured.
“At 3.05am on Sunday, 7 July, 2024 officers were called to reports of a car fire in the Newton Street area of Glenrothes. Both incidents are being treated as wilful and enquiries remain ongoing.”
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 9.11pm on Monday, July 8, to reports of a garage on fire on Hill View in Glenrothes. Operations Control mobilised four fire appliances to the scene, with crews extinguishing the fire.
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“There were no casualties, and crews left the scene after ensuring the area was made safe.”
The spokesperson added: “We were then alerted at 10.47pm on Monday, July 8, to reports of a caravan on fire near Piper Drive in Glenrothes. Operations Control mobilised two fire appliances to the scene, with crews extinguishing the fire.
“There were no casualties, and crews left the scene after ensuring the area was made safe.”