A Fife couple have described their horror after they saw their new car burn to a crisp while scrolling through Facebook.
Craig and Natalie Mason's black Ford Fiesta was parked near to Natalie's business, Beauty Mechanic, on Main Street, Kinglassie on Wednesday, October 12, when a fire caused their car to go up in flames. Craig, 40, told the Daily Record, he only discovered their month-old vehicle may have been caught up in the blaze after seeing a video which was posted on social media.
He said: "The car was parked in the carpark across from my wife's shop, which is about 10 minutes away from our house. I just happened to be having a look on Facebook when I scrolled past a video of a fire and read a comment saying it was in Kinglassie.
"When I watched the video I recognised the pickup truck and knew it was near our car. I rushed through to see what was happening.".
A pick-up truck parked nearby the couple's car on Lochty Avenue was deliberately torched at around 10.15pm. Fuel from the burning van is believed to have leaked out during the fire, before becoming flammable and spreading to Craig and Natalie's vehicle.
The fire, which cops are treating as wilful, caused extensive damage to the car. Craig said he only bought the motor last month as a present to his wife for her new beauty business.
He added: "I'm so annoyed and angry that this has happened. People work so hard for things and then one person can take it away in seconds. It's really disappointing. I had bought the car for my wife for her shop which she was going to use to promote her business, but she hadn't even had the chance to do this yet."
Emergency services said they raced to Lochty Avenue after receiving several reports of the fire. Shocking videos taken from the scene showed the car and van going up in flames as fire crews attempted to extinguish the blaze.
Speaking about the incident, Craig said: "It was parked about a car width away from the pickup but because it's on a hill the fuel ran out of the truck, ran down the hill, caught fire and then went under our car.
"I actually watched a video of it happening online. In one video the car is fine and then in the next minute it's up in flames."
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 10.15pm on Wednesday, October 12, 2022, officers were called to a report of a van and car on fire on Lochty Avenue, Kinglassie. It is being treated as wilful and enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances.”
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "At 9.41pm on Wednesday, 12 October Operation Control mobilised one appliance to Lochty Avenue, Kinglassie to extinguish a fire affecting a van and car.
"Crews worked to make the area safe before leaving. There were no reported casualties."
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