A SUSPECT has been charged after a fire at a Scots court in the early hours of this morning.
The main door of Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court was allegedly set alight shortly before 5am.
Emergency crews were scrambled to the scene and spent nearly two hours trying to extinguish the blaze.
A height appliance from Dunfermline also responded to the incident.
The outside of the court building was left charred by the blaze and it is currently not known if the inside of the building was damaged.
A 21-year-old has since been arrested and charged in connection with the fire and will appear in the dock tomorrow.
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “A 21-year-old has been arrested and charged in connection with an incident of alleged wilful fire-raising at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court, which happened around 4.50am on Thursday, 6 February.
“They are due to appear at Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court on Friday, 7 February, 2025.”
The blaze sparked chaos at the courthouse as the main building was closed.
And it is not set to reopen until Monday morning.
All criminal trials had to be moved to the nearby Sheriff Court Annexe while civil matters had to be heard remotely.
The area around the court was sealed off this morning after the fire was put out.
A statement from the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service said: “The main building in Kirkcaldy Sheriff Court is closed today and tomorrow.
“All criminal business will call at Kirkcaldy Annex, those coming to court should attend there.
“Civil business will be dealt with remotely and, if not possible, the hearings will be allocated a new hearing date.”
A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson added: “We were called to Whytecauseway in Kirkcaldy to reports of a fire.
“Crews from Kirkcaldy and a height appliance from Dunfermline were mobilised to the scene.
“We received the stop message at 7.17am.”
