Fire tears through derelict building in Menstrie

Firefighters and police attended the fire, which broke out shortly after 8pm on Monday, August 14.

Fortunately, the building was derelict at the time and there was nobody inside when the fire tore through the property.

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: “We were alerted at 20.22pm on Monday, August 14 to reports of a derelict building on fire at Long Row, Menstrie.

“Operations Control mobilised four appliances to the scene where firefighters extinguished the fire.

“There were no reported casualties.”

The property, known locally as Broomhall Cottage, is located up a private lane just off Long Row and is believed to have been abandoned for several years.

Nearby residents noticed the fire and smoke and contacted emergency services before notifying other neighbours to move their vehicles to allow for the fire engines to access the property.

WILFUL: Police Scotland have stated they believe the fire to be wilful and have opened enquiries. Picture by Ken Crocket.

WILFUL: Police Scotland have stated they believe the fire to be wilful and have opened enquiries. Picture by Ken Crocket.

Ken Crocket, a local resident, told the Advertiser that the property had lay empty for years and the area around it was littered with ladders and scaffolding.

He said: "The first I heard of it was when my neighbour asked to park his car in my drive to make space for the fire engines.

"He told me the house was on fire so I went outside and saw this huge column of smoke – no flames at this time, just smoke.

"The owners had moved out several years back, I'm not sure precisely when.

"It's been lying there empty, scaffolding has been left, there's ladders around it - this has been a recipe for vandalism for a while now."

Police believe the fire had been set intentionally and have launched an investigation into the matter.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 8.35pm on Monday, August 14, 2023, officers received a report of a fire at a derelict building on Long Row, Menstrie.

“The fire is being treated as wilful and enquiries are ongoing.”

WILFUL: Police Scotland have stated they believe the fire to be wilful and have opened enquiries. Picture by Ken Crocket.