Fife historic inn destroyed by fire

Shortly after 10pm on 28 April 2026, a major fire broke out at the historic St Michael’s Inn in Fife, leaving it completely destroyed

At the height of the blaze, nine fire appliances and four specialist resources were mobilised to the scene, with firefighters working through the night to bring it under control.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) confirmed that crews were dealing with a “well-developed” fire, with footage of the incident showing large flames emerging from the roof of the 17th-century building and a plume of smoke surrounding the premises.

At least five guests had been staying at the hotel, but no injuries were reported. As reported by BBC News, crews remained on site throughout Wednesday (29 April) to continue dampening down those areas that were still smouldering.

SFRS later scaled back its response to two fire appliances and one high-reach vehicle, with a spokesperson for the service adding that “firefighting crews will remain on scene for some time yet.”

It is understood that the hotel recently underwent a major refurbishment and reopened in February. Owner Graham Bradley told STV News: “It’s very hard for me to see it like this. When I took it over, it was in a poor state, and we’ve completely modernised it.

“I spent £100,000 on the refurb. There is tens of thousands of pounds worth of stock as well, just gone up in flames.

“I’m still in shock.”

He added that it was likely that the building would need to be demolished given the level of damage caused, stating that the fire had “gone too far”.

The Courier has since confirmed that the building will be demolished, with the inn owner adding that he has plans to “start again”.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is underway; however, Police Scotland said that the fire was not being treated as suspicious.