Edinburgh fire: One person taken to hospital after large fire closes George IV Bridge in Scottish capital

Firefighters attended the large fire at George IV Bridge, one of the main streets in Edinburgh city centre
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One person has been taken to hospital as a large fire at George IV Bridge in Edinburgh has closed several roads in the city centre.The emergency services were called to the blaze shortly after 6am on Tuesday.Nine fire engines and two height appliances have been sent to the scene with members of the public being asked to avoid the area if possible.Images from the scene show smoke pouring from a branch of Patisserie Valerie, next door to the The Elephant House cafe which was made famous as a place where JK Rowling wrote much of her early Harry Potter series.

What’s been said?

A Scottish Ambulance Service spokesman said: “We received a call at 0639 hours today to attend an incident at George IV Bridge in Edinburgh with our first resource arriving on scene at 0646.

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“We dispatched two ambulances, one paramedic response unit and our special operations team to the scene.

“We transported one patient to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and treated one patient at the scene.”

Video grab taken with permission from the twitter feed of @askFarhaanVideo grab taken with permission from the twitter feed of @askFarhaan
Video grab taken with permission from the twitter feed of @askFarhaan

A Scottish Fire and Rescue Service spokeswoman said: “We were alerted at 6.18am on Tuesday August 24 to reports of a building on fire at George IV Bridge, Edinburgh.

“Operations Control mobilised nine appliances and two height vehicles to the scene where firefighters are tackling a fire affecting a number of properties.

“Crews are still in attendance.”

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Police Scotland said in a statement: “Our officers are currently assisting the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service dealing with a large fire at George IV Bridge.

“Please be aware that there are numerous road closures in the vicinity of George IV Bridge and Candlemaker Row at present and avoid the area where possible.”

Photos from the scene

The incident was caught on camera by several Twitter users at the scene:

Additional reporting by PA

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