A home brewing kit sparked the evacuation of a Kirkcaldy street after a man was found dead in his flat, police revealed yesterday.
Mystery still surrounds the exact circumstances behind the death of the 37-year-old man at his address in Balfour Street.
He was discovered with what were initially described as “potentially volatile” materials, leading to the evacuation of a number of homes and buildings on Tuesday night.
The flammable materials were assessed by bomb disposal experts and residents were given the all clear to return to their homes in the early hours.
Police Scotland say the man’s death is being treated as “unexplained”, pending further enquiries, though there are not thought to be any suspicious circumstances.
Chief Inspector Tom Brown, local area commander for Kirkcaldy, was keen to quash rumours circulating locally that there may have been something more sinister behind the chemicals found at the property.
He said: “We would like to take this opportunity to reassure residents within the Balfour Street area, and the wider community within Kirkcaldy, that there was no risk to the public following the police and explosive ordinance disposal response to an address.
“Officers had initially attended to conduct inquiries into the sudden death of a 37-year-old man and during this time they found some items within the property, which gave them reasonable cause for concern.
“As a precaution, neighbouring homes were evacuated until the EOD conducted their inquiries.
“It has since been established that the items were used in the production of home-brewed alcohol and did not pose a risk to the public.
“We thank those affected for their patience and cooperation while expert assessment of the items concerned was carried out.
Police forced entry to the ground floor flat after receiving a call from a worried member of the public shortly after 6pm and found the man – who is believed to be of eastern European origin – unresponsive within.
A neighbour who lived in the block of four flats, who did not wish to be named, said there was often a strong smell of gas emanating from the property which aroused suspicions among locals.
“There was always a really strong smell of gas, like a cooker, when you walked past the door,” he commented.
“I think there were a couple of guys who lived there but none of them ever said a word to anyone.”
The resident added that he had gone to a nearby fish and chip shop for something to eat before 6pm, only to find he could not re-enter his flat when he returned as police had cordoned off the area.
“I got a message from police at about 12.45am saying I could go back in but I ended up just staying with a mate,” he added.