THE Kincardine community rallied together to support the residents affected by  the devastating blaze at Forth Bay Care Home on Monday. 

Locals, general practitioners and politicians in the town took to the streets to offer hands on help in the form of hot soup and blankets before residents were provided shelter at the community centre.  

Around 60 firefighters and nine fire engines had attended the incident on Walker Street when the alarm was raised at 3.19pm. 

The fire was then brought under control and extinguished by 6pm, and the home emphasised they are working tirelessly to source its starting point and rehouse the elderly nearby.

A spokesperson said: "We can confirm that every resident was safely evacuated and, working closely with social services and other professional bodies, we have arranged alternative temporary accommodation in other homes in the local area for everyone. 

"We would like to thank our dedicated staff team for their brilliant work in carrying out the evacuation so professionally. The health and wellbeing of residents is always our number one priority, and the staff team acted diligently to follow the correct procedure.

"We would also like to extend our sincere thanks to the fire service for their prompt response, and to the local community for their wonderful offers of help.  We will be working closely with the fire service to carry out a full assessment to determine the cause of the fire."
 


All residents and staff were accounted for but the roof at the east side of the home's building has been destroyed. 

Area manager Roddie Keith, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) incident commander, paid tribute to the crews for tackling the incident with speed and professionalism, while hailing the town for its display of humanity in the face of adversity.  

"They (SFRS) did a tremendous job in dealing with an extensive fire ultimately bringing this incident to a swift conclusion. 

"I would also like to thank our emergency service partners at Police Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service as well as the nursing home staff and the local authority. 

"I must also acknowledge the people of this community who assisted the nursing home residents by helping them to a place of safety. Their care and compassion is to be thoroughly commended."

After hearing about the fire late on Monday afternoon Shirley-Anne Somerville, MSP for Dunfermline and West Fife, travelled to the town and has since praised the way the community has reacted during a difficult time.

She said: "They have banded together to provide much needed support to the elderly residents of Forth Bay Care Home, including emergency soup stations. 

"Kincardine is a stellar example of a kind and caring community, that has come together to tackle adversity. My thoughts go out to the residents of Forth Bay at this time, and my constituency office is on hand to offer support and advice to the residents and their families, on 01383 249 200."