The demolition of the fire-damaged former cinema in Lochgelly is now complete.
As previously reported in the Times, the old Lochgelly Cinema on Bank Street went up in flames back in September.
Two teenage boys were later arrested and charged following enquiries into deliberate fire raising.
The building, which sat in the heart of Lochgelly’s town centre, was severely damaged by fire.
Since then, Fife Council’s building standards and public safety teams have overseen demolition works to remove the risk it posed to residents, businesses and road users.
An exclusion zone, temporary traffic lights and pavement closures were put in place throughout the process. These were gradually reduced as the building was made safe and Bank Street fully reopened to traffic before Christmas.
One business in Lochgelly even warned that the disruption caused by the demolition could have forced them to close.
Chivaune Harmon, who runs Rise & Dine Café, revealed that there were weeks she was not even getting a wage, as takings were down.
She told the Times: “Last October we were £6000 odds in takings. This year, it was like £1800, so a £5000 difference.
“There are some weeks we are not even getting a wage; we are just paying the bills.
“Obviously we are trying to keep it open because it’s a café, but most of our customers are elderly or we have a lot of carers who bring in their clients and that’s where we are losing a bit, they can’t just come in.
“Obviously, we can’t just keep running on no wages and waiting.”
The fire even left behind communication problems in the surrounding area, as it damaged a nearby phone mast.
This resulted in some residents not being able to obtain a signal, with others reporting that calls were cutting out mid-conversation.
With all demolition work now finished and the site cleared, the remaining safety measures have been removed.
Garry Nicoll, service manager for building standards and public safety, thanked the community for their patience, he said: “Following the fire, the building was an immediate danger and we had a statutory responsibility to act.
"I’m pleased to confirm that the unsafe structure has now been completely removed, and the area no longer poses a risk to the public.
“This has been a complex process, and we’re grateful to local residents and businesses for their cooperation over the last few months. With the demolition complete, we’ve now been able to hand the site back to the owners.”
The council’s involvement with the building has now concluded. Any remaining repairs or remedial work is the responsibility of the relevant building owners.
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