A BUILDING that can be traced back to the mid-1800s was destroyed in a large blaze in Alloa late last night.

Carsebridge House, located just off Carsebridge Road, went up in flames just before 10pm.

Firefighters rushed to the scene and managed to extinguish the fire early into this morning, but the building is now a ruin.

The roof of the property, known locally as the Dolls House, was completely lost to the blaze, while the first floor ceiling has also largely caved in.

The fire tore through the roof of the building, largely destroying the ground floor ceiling as well.The fire tore through the roof of the building, largely destroying the ground floor ceiling as well. (Image: Newsquest)

The exact cause remains unknown, with police and fire crews attending the scene through the night to assist.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: “We were alerted at 10.09pm on Thursday, 29 August, to reports of a building on fire at Carsebridge Road, Alloa.

“Operations Control mobilised four fire appliances, one height vehicle and specialist resources to the area where firefighters worked to extinguish a fire affecting a three-storey building.

“There are no reported casualties and crews left the scene at around 3.30am after ensuring the area was made safe.”

The building is owned by Advance Construction, who were on hand to fence off the site to make the area safe.

The site forms part of the Carsebridge campus area, some of which is managed by Resonate Together.

Resonate had taken over ownership of two buildings on the campus, with aims of fully restoring several of the properties there.

While the building that went ablaze was not under their jurisdiction, Angela Watt, CEO and founder of Resonate, told the Advertiser she was devastated to see it destroyed.

She said: “The team were on site at Carsebridge Road yesterday and we had people coming in and we had a lovely atmosphere.

“We started to see on social media that something was happening and on our CCTV systems, we could see that there was a lot of traffic on the road near us.

“We immediately got messages from across the community hugely upset by the loss and while it’s not our building, we had people down here trying to help and support the police and fire service.

“We got here early this morning, working with the owners to try and find out what happened.

“Lots of people who had connections to the site have been in touch and are really upset about losing more heritage in the country.

“It is absolutely devastating.”

The building formed part of a historic distillery that sat on the Carsebridge site many years ago, with generations of residents working on the project.

Formerly a part of the Diageo site, the building had lain vacant for many years, with gradual wear and tear leaving it partially damaged inside.

The area has been a target of vandalism over the past year, with reports of people accessing the buildings and damaging the interiors.

Lynsey Breen, head of land for Advance Construction, added: "We are saddened by the recent fire at Carsebridge House.

"We have been working closely with the council through the planning process and have been in dialogue in regards to the end use.

"Unfortunately we have faced frequent vandalism and arson alerting the police who have attended on numerous occasions over the last few years.

"We would like to thank the emergency services for their attendance and will be discussing next steps with the council in due course."