Fire this morning on North Berwick's Forth Street a 'large-scale incident'

It has been confirmed that there was a fire at the town's Freemasons Hall, 8-10 Forth Street, the premises of Lodge St Baldred No. 313.

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokesperson said: "We were alerted at 6.57am on Monday, November 9 to an automatic fire alarm signal at Forth Street, North Berwick, East Lothian. 

"Operations control mobilised six appliances including a height vehicle to the two-storey Masonic Hall where smoke could be seen issuing from the windows. 

"Crews evacuated neighbouring properties as they worked to locate and extinguish the fire."

A police spokesman confirmed to the Courier that officers were called to the street at 7.40am to assist with traffic management.

A spokesperson for St Baldred's Lodge confirmed to the Courier that the fire started in the bar area in its upper floor and was not as significant as first thought.

He said the bar area has seen "significant" smoke and water damage.

The flames were contained to the upstairs bar area and did not spread throughout the building.

Despite experiencing some interior damage, the spokesperson confirmed that the structure of the building is sound.

He added: "The upper storey of the hall is where the Masonic meetings are held, this area has seen considerable and significant smoke and water damage.

"The walls have seen damage and the ceiling came down due to water both from the building's water supply and from the hoses used by the fire brigade.

"The fire started in the bar area and investigations are underway to find out how it started."

It is not clear how much repair work will cost at this stage.

Many fire engines attended the incident

Eye witnesses said more than a half-a-dozen fire engines were on the scene with the street itself closed and no pedestrian access.

Fire crews from all over East Lothian were attendance as was a height appliance from McDonald Road in Edinburgh.

One resident described it as "a large scale incident" with "people being evacuated to the other side of the road".

SEE MORE: North Berwick residents share their experiences of fire

A couple from Lorne Lane said they had heard no sirens, and were only alerted to the fire by the sound of voices on the street.

The man, who did not want to be named, said: “The windows upstairs are blown out and you could see the blackened walls inside.”

Another resident, on Forth Street, said: “I didn’t hear any sirens. A neighbour phoned and woke me at 7.15, not in a panic, just to let me know what was happening. I looked out and saw smoke billowing from the roof.

"One neighbour’s friend said there were nine fire engines, a control van, paramedics... There was nobody in the hall and nobody in the flat below.”

There are no reported injuries or casualties and firefighters are no longer at the scene, leaving after ensuring the area was made safe.