Firefighters are still battling a blaze at a block of flats in Fife more than 12 hours after it was first reported.
Seven fire engines and two height appliances were sent to Lochgelly after calls came in just after 7pm on Monday.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said three engines and two height appliances remain at the scene.
Video shows flames and smoke billowing from the roof of the block of flats on Francis Street.
There are no reported casualties.
Police Scotland said road closures around the area remain in place.
Fire service struggling amid ‘crisis’ of low morale and budget cuts
The blaze comes as the Fire Brigades Union published a report that found Scotland’s fire service is in “crisis” and blighted by low morale, underinvestment and budget cuts.
Entitled Firestorm, the report assessed the challenges faced by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and said the situation is impacting severely on firefighters’ ability to respond effectively to serious and life-threatening incidents.
It identified serious concerns with the situation in the fire service, with firefighters raising issues around response times, poor training, poor equipment and health concerns about fire contaminants.
One firefighter told the union that the SFRS had done “almost nothing” to combat the physical effects they experience as a result of fires.
The firefighter said: “The SFRS has done almost nothing (on contaminants) apart from provide wipes on appliances – that’s it.
“Patting yourself down with wipes after being exposed to a fire for hours just doesn’t cut it.”
The report’s release comes after the union claimed a major fire that caused extensive damage to six homes in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire, was exacerbated by cuts to fire and rescue services.
Terrible outcome for those that have likely lost everything in this incident. Thoughts with all involved. This (and the many other examples recently) must call into question recent changes to SFRS strategic cover/reserve and the overall cuts agenda. https://t.co/1BCppuL4eO
— Colin Brown (@FBU_Scotland_EC) October 22, 2023
At the time of the incident, East Kilbride’s second appliance was unavailable as it was being used to transport staff to training near Edinburgh.
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