Spectacular blaze breaks out at Kirkcaldy glass fibre plant

Following what has been described as a “spectacular” fire at a glass fibre plant in Kirkcaldy, local residents were told to stay indoors to avoid the thick, black billowing smoke clouds.

The fire at the Production Glassfibre facility – located on the Mitchelston Industrial Estate – broke out at around 4pm on Wednesday 15th December, prompting a major emergency situation in the area.

Fire crews from Fife Fire and Rescue Service rushed to the scene, but the blaze had well taken hold. In fact, it took just over an hour for the fire to nearly completely destroy the building.

All 75 employees at the factory were evacuated safely, which suggests that the building was fitted with fire alarms and that they provided an early warning of the incident. There were no fatalities in the incident, but one man had to be taken to hospital due to burns on his hand and leg.

As fire crews tackled the blaze, local police cordoned off the area surrounding the factory and warned local residents to stay indoors and keep windows closed to avoid the smoke. Residents were however told that the smoke was not toxic and was the same as that produced in a house fire.

Speaking at the scene of the incident, an unnamed employee at the factory explained:

“We don’t know how it started but glass fibre is a very flammable material. It was almost four when that started and the building is burnt to the ground.”