Couple jailed for starting £2m fire at Fife flats

A couple have been jailed for starting a fire in Fife that led to the destruction of a £2m block of flats and endangered the lives of eight people.

Jamie Morrison, 34, and Chloe Arnott, 31, who were in a relationship at the time, set fire to Ms Arnott's former partner's empty top floor flat in Lochgelly.

They left without telling anyone what they had done in Francis Street on 23 October 2023.

Morrison, who already had a criminal record for fire-raising, was jailed for 64 months and Arnott for 52 months.

Morrison and Arnott, both of Glenrothes, appeared for sentence at the High Court in Stirling after pleading guilty in July to wilful fireraising to the endangerment of life.

They had originally been charged with attempted murder.

Judge Fiona Tait praised a resident who alerted every flat in the three-storey block before making his way to safety.

She told the couple: "You lit a piece of paper with a cigarette lighter and immediately left the building.

"You didn't attempt to alert the residents to the fire. Fortunately an adjoining neighbour heard a loud crackling noise coming from the flat and after his wall became hot he realised there was a fire.

"Despite his panic, and as a pane of glass in the door started to shatter, he had the courage and presence of mind to knock on the doors of all of the flats to tell the occupants to leave."

Judge Tait said there were 12 people living in the 12-flat block, and eight of them were present when the fire started.

She said: "By good fortune, no-one was hurt.

"This was a serious offence to the danger of life of the occupants of the flats and resulted in significant cost."

The damaged building had to be pulled down by Fife Council.

Morrison and Arnott had spent the afternoon drinking alcohol at a friend's home in Lochgelly.

At about 18:20, they were spotted by a resident on the landing of Arnott's former partner Kevin Storrar.

Later, they were seen inside the flat, seemingly gathering together piles of clothing.

While inside, they lit a piece of paper using a cigarette lighter.

Morrison's lawyer, Billy Lavelle, said: "He accepts he lit this piece of paper. He thought he had stamped on it to put it out. Clearly he was wrong and the consequences were serious. He wishes to apologise to the residents for what happened."

Michael Anderson KC, defending Arnott, said: "The devastating consequences of the fire were not foreseen.

"Drug and alcohol addiction has dogged her life and this offence occurred when she was severely under the influence of addictive substances."

The court heard multiple fire crews used height appliances to reach the flames on the top floor and worked through the night to deal with the blaze.

Moira Orr, who leads on homicide and major crime for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service, said:

"This was an extremely reckless act that could have had devastating consequences had it not been for the swift actions of a neighbour.

"Instead of alerting residents to the fire taking hold, Morrison and Arnott simply left the property without raising the alarm.

"They will now have to face the consequences of their dangerous actions, and I hope this conviction brings some comfort to those affected by their offending."

Det Insp Kieran Marsh, of Police Scotland, said: "This was a reckless act that has had huge consequences for the other residents of the building, as well as the local community."